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Avery  Architectural  and  Fine  Arts  Library 
Gift  of  Seymour  B.  Durst  Old  York  Library 


MEMORIAL     EDITION 

new  york's  awful 
Steamboat  Horror 

HUNDREDS  OF  WOMEN  AND  CHILDREN 
DROWNED  ANb  BURNED  TO  DEATH 

WITH    GRAPHIC    DESCRIPTIONS   OF    FLAMES   SWEEPING    MANY 

SOULS    TO    ETERNITY    WITH    RESISTLESS    FURY  ; 

PANIC  STRICKEN  MULTITUDES  JUMPING 

TO  SURE  DEATH,  ETC.,  ETC. 

AND  CONTAINING   THRILLING  STORIES  OF   THIS  MOST  OVER- 
WHELMING  CATASTROPHE  OF  MODERN  TIMES 

TO    WHICH    IS    ADDED    VIVID    ACCOUNTS    OF    HEARTRENDING 

SCENES    WHERE    HUNDREDS    WERE    BURNED    AND 

DROWNED  IN  THEIR  EFFORTS  TO  ESCAPE 

COMPILED  FROM   THE  DESCRIPTIONS  OF  EYE  WITNESSES  AND 
SURVIVORS  OF   THIS  TERRIBLE   DISASTER 

By    H.    D.    NORTHROP,    the  well-known  author 


Profusely  Illustrated  with  a  Great  Many  Photographs  of 
Thrilling  Scenes  in  this  Fearful  Catastrophe 

TO  THE  ABOVE  IS  ADDED  AX  ACCOUNT   OF  ALL  GREAT   FIRF 
HORRORS  FOR    HUNDREDS  OF  YEARS 


ENTERED   ACCORDING    TO' ACT    OF    CONGHE86,    IN      1  Hfc    YtAR       90*,    a* 

D.  Z.  HOWELL 

IN    THE    OFFICE    OF     THE    LIBRARIAN    OF    CONGRESS,    AT    WASHINGTON,    D.  C,  U.  6.  A 


PREFACE. 


THE  appalling  steamboat  horror  in  New  York  Harbor 
is  even  more  terrifying  than  the  Chicago  Theatre 
Fire,  for  this  catastrophe  resulted  in  the  death  of  hun- 
dreds by  both  fire  and  water.  It  has  sent  a  thrill  of 
dismay  and  terror  throughout  the  whole  world.  A  crowd 
of  excursionists  were  made  victims  of  this  dire  calamity. 
All  on  board  were  anticipating  a  day  of  pleasure,  and 
never  dreamed  that  a  disaster  so  shocking  was  near.  In 
an  instant  the  merry  company  was  turned  into  a  frantic 
struggling  crowd,  all  making  desperate  efforts  to  save 
themselves  and  their  friends.  No  language  can  describe 
the  heartrending  scenes,  or  convey  any  adequate  idea  of 
the  awful  holocaust  on  the  "  General  Slocum." 

Crowds  of  children  were  on  board,  and  their  mothers 
were  driven  by  the  fury  of  flames  to  leap  with  them  into 
the  water.  Family  parties  prepared  for  a  day's  picnic, 
were  on  the  doomed  boat,  and  were  hurled  to  death,  as  it 
were,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye.  In  the  wild  con- 
fusion, mothers  were  separated  from  their  little  ones, 
never  to  look  again  into  their  loving  faces. 

The  accident  occurred  in  the  East  River,  opposite  the 
upper  part  of  New  York  City.  The  banks  are  steep  and 
rocky  at  this  point,  which  has  been  given  the  suggestive 
name  of  u  Hell  Gate."  It  has  long  been  considered  a  dan- 
gerous place,  and  many  small  vessels  have  gone  down 
in  the  swirl  of  these  waters. 

When  the  fire  was  discovered  the  awe-stricken 
officers  and  passengers  stood  paralyzed  and  helpless  to 
stay  the  ravages  of  the  devouring  flames.     The  seething 


4  PREFACE. 

furnace  gathered  new  materials  for  its  remorseless  de- 
vastation, and  mocked  all  efforts  to  stay  its  onward 
progress.  Clouds  of  smoke  enveloped  the  sky,  through 
which  the  ascending  jets  of  fire  shot  with  the  fierceness 
of  lightning. 

There  was  a  noise  like  an  explosion  down  in  the 
steamer's  hull,  and  red  starry  loads  of  sparks  and  smoke 
and  flames  flew  up,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  super- 
structure plunged  forward  into  the  flames.  How  many 
hundreds  of  lives  were  snuffed  out  at  that  instant  nobody 
will  ever  know. 

From  the  shores  could  be  seen  writhing  figures  in 
the  burning  wreck,  slipping  down  further  and  further 
into  the  flames  until  they  disappeared.  As  bees  cling  to 
a  branch  when  swarming,  there  was  a  thick  clustering  of 
women  all  screaming  ;  and  boys  and  girls  around  the 
edges  of  as  much  of  the  railing  of  the  boat  as  was  left 
standing. 

Mothers  threw  their  children  overboard  and  leaped 
after  them.  The  majority  of  them  went  down  to 
a  watery  grave.  All  kinds  of  boats  that  were  near 
hurried  to  the  rescue,  and  many  a  sailor  proved  himself 
to  be  a  hero  by  risking  his  life  to  save  the  drowning  and 
those  who  were  frantic  and  in  agony  from  the  all- 
enveloping  flames. 

A  full  and  intensely  graphic  account  of  this  ap- 
palling disaster  is  contained  in  this  memorial  volume. 
The  book  has  a  fascination  that  cannot  be  resisted.  This 
calamity  stands  out  in  bold  and  terrible  outlines  in  the 
history  of  great  disasters. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I.  page 

FRIGHTFUL  CATASTROPHE  BY  FIRK    AND    WATER-    •    .    •     1 7 

CHAPTER  II. 

OUR  COUNTRY  AGHAST  AT  THE  TRAGEDY 28 

CHAPTER  III. 

SCENES  OF  OVERWHELMING   GRIEF     41 

CHAPTER  IV. 

SYMPATHY  FROM  ALL  QUARTERS 60 

CHAPTER  V. 

STARTLING   TESTIMONY  OF  EYE    WITNESSES 84 

CHAPTER  VI. 

FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS Ill 

CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  PULPITS  RING  WITH  INDIGNATION 1 39 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

HEROES  SAVE  MANY  LIVES 157 


6  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

STARTLING   FACTS  AT  THE  INQUEST .   .   .  . 176 

CHAPTER  X. 

NEW  HORRORS  SHOCK  THE  PUBLIC 199 

CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  STEAMBOAT  A  DEATH  TRAP 220 

CHAPTER   XII. 

WORTHLESS  LIFE-PRESERVERS 23 1 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

VALOROUS    DEEDS    BY  RESCUERS  •   •    . ' 243 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

SWIFT  JUSTICE  DEMANDED. 258 

CHAPTER  XV. 

ORPHANS  CAST  UPON  THE  WORLD 277 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

SLAUGHTER   CAUSED  BY  GREED 296 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

STEAMBOAT  DIRECTORS  ARRESTED 307 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

DIRGES  FOR  THE  DEAD 324 


THIS    GROUP    SHOWS    THE    PHOTOGRAPHS    OF    TWENTY-EIGHT  WOMEN    AND 
CHILDREN     WHO    WERE    ON     THE    ILL-FATED    STEAMER    "GENERAL  SLOCUM." 


CONTENTS.  7 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE  GENERAL  SLOCUM  DISASTER  .  337 

BOOK    II* 

THE  GREAT  CHICAGO  HORROR. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

STORY  OF  THE  GREATEST  CALAMITY  OF  RECENT  TIMES  .  359 

CHAPTER  XXL 

AWFUL  SPECTACLE  DESCRIBED    BY  THE  RESCUED  ....  372 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

DESPERATE  STRUGGLES  TO  ESCAPE  DEATH .   .  390 

CHAPTER   XXIII. 

LIST  OF   VICTIMS  OF   THE  CHICAGO   HORROR  .......  407 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

OTHER  APPALLING  TRAGEDIES  CAUSED    BY   FIRE  •    •    .   •  419 


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WRECK    OF    STEAMER     AFTER    THE    TERRIBLE     DISASTER,    WHICH 
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ROTTEN     LIFE    PRESERVER    TAKEN     FROM    THE    WRECK    OF    THE 

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OF     DATE    OF    INSPECTION. 


APPALLING  HORROR 


IN 


NEW  YORK  BAY. 


CHAPTER  I. 
FRIGHTFUL  CATASTROPHE  BY  FIRE  AND  WATER. 

NOTHING  approaching  the  great  calamity  of  June 
15th  ever  before  happened  in  New  York  waters.  In 
the  midst  of  such  an  awful  destruction  of  life,  the  exact 
number  of  those  who  perished  is  immaterial,  but  it  is 
certain  that  on  day  of  the  calamity  more  than  1000  souls 
were  sent  to  their  long  homes  without  a  moment's  warn- 
ing to  prepare  for  death.  The  list  of  the  missing  has 
reached  an  appalling  length. 

"How  did  such  a  thing  happen?''  That  was  the 
question  that  was  reiterated  up  and  down  the  length 
and  breadth  of  the  city.  People  read  that  the  captain 
found  his  boat  with  its  living  cargo  was  on  fire  at  110th 
street,  and  yet  did  not  drive  it  to  the  shore  until  he 
reached  138th  street,  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the 
place  were  the  cry  of  "Fire!"  first  reached  his  ears. 

Capt.  William  H.  Van  Schaick  of  the  "Slocum"  ex- 
plained as  best  he  could  how  such  a  horrible  disaster  had 
come  to  a  steamer  under  his  care  and  direction.  He  is 
a  man  61  years  old,  and  has  had  long  experience  in  com- 
manding pleasure  craft  in  the  waters  around  New  y^-* 
Capt.  Van  Schaick  said  that,  though  he  1 
of  fire  early,  he  made  up  his  mind  at  erne 

x.y.  2 


18  FRIGHTFUL  CATASTROPHE  BY  FIRE  AND  WATER. 

no  certain  place  where  she  could  be  beached  in  shallow 
water  south  of  North  Brother  Island.  The  tide  was  run- 
ning east  to  the  Sound  with  terrible  velocity,  and  the 
captain  feared  that  he  would  lose  time  trying  to  turn  his 
boat  into  a  proper  beaching  place  to  beach  her  west  of 
North  Brother  Island.  He  stuck  to  his  post,  although 
the  flames  scorched  his  clothing,  until  the  boat  was  hard 
and  fast  ashore.     -Pilot  Van  Wart  stayed  with  him. 

Rivermen  generally  are  divided  as  to  the  good 
judgment  shown  by  Capt.  Van  Schaick  in  trying  to  go 
so  far.  It  was  nearly  an  even  division.  The  captain 
himself  admitted  that  it  was  not  until  after  the  fire  had 
been  burning  some  time  that  he  realized  its  fierceness 
and  its  rapidity.  Capt.  Van  Schaick  and  Pilots  Van  Wart 
and  Weaver  were  arrested  and  were  sent  to  the  prison 
cells  of  Bellevue  Hospital.  All  of  them  were  badly 
burned. 

GRAVE  QUESTIONS  TO  BE  SETTLED. 

District  Attorney  Jerome  sent  his  assistant,  F.  P. 
Garvan,  to  the  scene  of  the  wreck  to  determine  whether 
a  crime  had  been  committed.  It  was  stated  that  if  it 
could  be  shown  that  Capt.  Van  Schaick  used  his  best  judg- 
ment he  would  not  be  held  responsible.  But  there  were 
other  questions  which  would  call  for  a  criminal  investi- 
gation, as,  for  instance,  the  quality  and  condition  of  the 
life  preservers  on  the  "  General  Slocum  "  and  the  facili- 
ties which  she  had  for  fighting  fire. 

T*    was  proven   that  a   man  could  rip  many  of  the 

•ve-rr  OD   the  ship  wide  open  with  his  thumb- 

^e    of  them   were  filled   with    granu- 

quickly     becomes     water    soaked 

Former  Fire   Marshal  Freel  was 


FRIGHTFUL  CATASTROPHE  BY  FIRE  AND  WATER  !9 

retained  by  the  District  Attorney  to  make  an  investiga- 
tion into  the  circumstances  of  the  starting  of  the  hre. 

There  was  a  compartment  in  the  hold  of  the 
<v  General  Slocum  "  known  as  the  second  cabin.  It  was 
forward,  just  aft  the  forecastle.  In  this  room  were  kept 
the  lamps  and  the  oil  for  filling  them  ;  the  gasolene  and 
the  brass  polishing  liquids  and  all  the  other  inflam- 
mable supplies.  It  is  thought  that  the  fire  started 
in  this  cabin.  But  it  was  known  that  the  flames  were 
fed  there  to  reach  their  greatest  and  most  murderous 
intensity.  From  that  cabin  the  fire  swept  back  through 
the  boat  with  a  fierceness  that  no  fire  fighting  apparatus 
could  hold  in  check. 

STEAMER  SPOUTING  FLAMES. 

There  were  scenes  of  horror  on  the  "  General  Slo- 
cum  "  and  on  shore  such  as  it  would  be  impossible  to 
put  on  paper,  even  though  any  chronicler  had  the 
ability.  It  was  a  boat  load  of  women  and  little  children. 
For  the  last  mile,  when  the  steamer,  spouting  flames 
high  into  the  air,  was  shooting  swiftly  out  to  the  Sound 
with  the  tide,  people  on  shore  and  on  other  steamers 
could  see  the  women  and  children  fluttering  over  the 
sides  into  the  water  in  scores.  The  river  is  swift  there 
at  flood  tide.  The  waves  dash  forward  one  over  another 
with  white  foam.  A  strong  man  would  have  but  little 
chance  in  those  waters.  The  women  and  children  had 
no  chance  for  their  lives. 

There  were  heard  many  such  stories  as  often  come 
out  after  a  disaster — stories  of  cruel  selfishness  by  mem- 
bers of  the  crew,  of  cold  disregard  of  the  distress 
signals  and  most  evident  need  by  pleasure  and  business 
craft  in  the  harbor.     In  the  end  came  the   storv  that 


20  FRIGHTFUL  CATASTROPHE  BY  FIRE  AND  WATER. 

there  had  been  looting  of  the  bodies  of  the  dead.     Some 
of  these  stories  may  have  been  trne. 

HEROIC  WORK  OF  RESCUERS, 

Bnt  there  was  a  glorions  record  of  self-sacrifice  and 
of  bravery  to  be  set  over  against  all  that  was  evil  or 
unmanly.  Of  such  were  the  bravery  with  which  the  old 
captain  and  his  pilots  stayed  at  their  post ;  the  noble  efforts 
of  Policemen  Kelk  and  Van  Tassel,  who  were  on  the 
burning  boat,  to  save  the  lives  of  those  entrusted  to  their 
care  ;  the  beautiful  recklessness  of  the  women  nurses 
and  the  convalescent  patients  from  the  hospitals  on 
North  Brother  Island,  risking  their  lives  to  dash  into 
the  water  around  the  burning  boat  to  pull  out  drowning 
children  and  women  ;  the  brave  deeds  of  the  men  on  the 
city's  boats,  the  "Franklin  Edson  "  and  the  "  Massa- 
soit,"  and  on  the  tugs  "  Theo  "  and  "  Wade." 

Some  day  some  one  will  fittingly  write  of  the  deeds 
of  that  little  man,  Capt.  Jack  Wade,  and  his  daredevil 
crew.  There  was  no  time  for  the  glorifying  of  heroes. 
For  every  one  whose  deeds  were  seen  and  mentally 
registered  in  the  flying  moments  of  horror  and  peril, 
there  were  hundreds  of  others  in  which  the  rescued 
were  too  much  scared  to  appreciate  what  was  being  done 
for  them  and  the  rescuers  were  too  busy  to  take  note  foi 
themselves. 

Ambulances  and  patrol  wagons  from  nearly  ever}, 
corner  of  the  cit}'  were  sent  to  points  along  The  Bronx 
shore  nearest  the  wreck.  Physicians  and  nurses  came  by 
hundreds,  not  only  from  hospitals,  public  and  private  in 
all  the  boroughs  of  the  city,  but  singly,  from  their  private 
offices,  from  as  far  away  as  Newark  and  Paterson. 

Bodies  were  sent  down  to  the  Bellevue  Morgue  from 


hkluHrKUL  CATAS'lKoPHl.   BV   UK!.  AND   WATER.  -I 

North  Brother  Island  as  fast  as  they  were  recovered,  until 
there  was  no  more  room  there.  Most  of  them  were  uni- 
dentified. At  about  five  o'clock  when  the  tide  was  low* 
there  was  a  sudden  increase  in  the  rapidity  with  which 
bodies  were  recovered.  They  were  brought  out  of  the 
water  near  where  the  4kSlocum"  had  been  grounded  at  the 
rate  of  about  one  a  minute.  A  temporary  morgue  was 
established  on  the  island.  The  systematizing  of  the  work 
of  identification  went  on  and  it  was  hoped  that  nearly  all 
the  recovered  bodies  would  be  recognized.  Some  of  them 
were  so  badly  burned  that  they  will  never  be  recognized. 
All  the  afternoon  and  at  night  great  silent  crowds,  thou- 
sands and  thousands  of  people,  stood  in  front  of  the  church 
in  Sixth  street,  in  front  of  the  Morgue  and  the  Alexander 
avenue  police  station,  and  along  the  East  River  shore 
opposite  North  Brother  Island — wherever  the  bodies  of 
victims  were  laid  or  where  news  of  them  could  be  learned. 

EXCURSIONISTS  GO   ON   BOARD. 

The  ''General  Slocuin"  which  was  built  of  wood, 
spent  Tuesday  night  at  the  foot  of  Fiftieth  street.  She 
started  around  the  Batten-  at  7  o'clock  next  morning. 
Her  crew  of  twenty-seven  men  were  aboard.  She  reached 
the  foot  of  Third  street,  in  the  East  River,  were  there  is 
a  recreation  pier,  at  about  twenty  minutes  past  8  o'clock. 

There  were  several  hundred  excursionists  already 
on  the  pier  when  the  "Slocum''  arrived.  There  were 
mothers  full  of  pride  iu  their  lusty  German- American 
babies,  and  full  of  anxiety  for  fear  some  of  them  would 
fall  overboard  in  their  haste  to  get  on  board  the  "Slocuin" 
before  anybody  else  did.  A  band  came  and  went  to 
the  after  deck  and  began  booming  out  melodies  dear  to 
the  German  and  East  Side  New  Yorker's  heart. 


22  FRIGHTFUL  CATASTROPHE  BY   FIRE  AND  WATER. 

The  mothers  and  children  came  pouring  across  the 
gang  plank  and  hurrying  for  k'good  places' '  about  the 
decks.  The  Rev.  G.  C.  F.  Haas  and  his  assistant,  the 
Rev.  J.  S.  Schultz,  stood  on  opposite  sides  of  the  gang 
plank  and  welcomed  the  mothers  and  the  scholars.  Police- 
men Kelk  and  Van  Tassell,  full  of  experience  in  the 
handling  of  Sunday  school  excursions,  took  posts  on  the 
off  shore  side  of  the  steamer,  ready  to  dive  after  any  tow- 
head  who,  by  mischance  should  fall  overboard.  It  was 
as  fine  a  day  for  a  picnic  as  ever  was.  The  sunlight  made 
the  blue  water  seem  as  bright  as  though  it  lay  anywhere 
but  between  the  piers  of  the  biggest  city  of  this  nation. 
The  ugly  factory  walls  were  set  off  by  masts  and  flags, 
and  big  boats  and  little  boats  seemed  rather  to  be  skitter- 
ing over  the  river  for  their  own  amusement  than  for  any 
purpose  of  sordid  profit. 

BIG  FAMILY   PARTIES. 

The  excursion  was  late  in  starting.  Lutherans  are 
great  folk  for  going  to  family  picnics  in  big  family 
parties.  Greta  and  Wilhemina  and  August's  wife  gather 
from  the  corners  of  Manhattan  and  Brooklyn  and  bring 
all  their  children,  and  combine  their  luncheons  so  that  it 
shall  be  served  to  ten  or  fifteen  hungry  mouths  in  proper 
proportions.  And  if  any  one  of  the  whole  family  circle 
was  late,  then  all  the  rest  went  to  Pastor  Haas  and  be- 
sought him,  by  all  that  was  dear  and  sweet,  not  to  let  the 
boat  go  until  sister  and  her  little  ones  came.  Pastor  Haas 
was  good  natured,  and  it  was  well  along  towards  10  o'clock 
when  the  "Slocum"  started,  the  band  on  the  upper  deck 
playing  "Ein  Feste  Burg  1st  UnserGott." 

The  children  tugged  at  their  skirts,  held  down  by 
their  smiling  mothers  and  big  sisters  and  grandmothers, 


MUGHTFUL  CATASTROPHE  BY  KIRK  AND  WATER.  28 

and  cheered  at  the  departing  pier.  There  was  not  a  chill 
in  the  air.  There  was  not  a  cloud  on  the  blue  sky.  Pastor 
Haas  went  up  and  down  the  decks,  and  the  matrons 
loudly  communicated  their  congratulations  to  him. 

Hell  Gate,  where  the  tide  was  rushing  out  to  the 
Sound  with  the  utmost  violence,  was  passed  safely.  There 
isn't  a  steamer  captain  in  this  harbor,  no  matter  though 
he  be  as  old  as  Capt.  Van  Schaick,  who  is  not  glad  when 
he  has  passed  through  Hell  Gate  without  a  collision  and 
without  being  slewed  out  of  his  course  against  its  rocky 
sides. 

DANGEROUS   STOREROOM. 

Though  Capt.  Van  Schaick  did  not  know  it,  the 
steamer  must  even  then  have  been  on  fire.  Just  back  of 
the  crew's  quarters,  up  in  the  bow  of  the  steamer  under 
the  main  deck,  is  what  is  called  the  second  cabin.  On  the 
^Slocuni"  this  cabin  has  been  used  as  a  sort  of  storeroom. 
Spare  hawsers  and  paint  and  oils  were  kept  there.  Gas- 
olene was  kept  there,  and  it  was  there  that  Albert  Payne, 
a  negro  steward,  kept  the  ship's  lamps  when  they  were 
not  in  place  and  cleaned  and  filled  them.  Payne,  his 
face  ashy  with  the  horrors  he  had  been  through,  swore 
that  he  had  finished  cleaning  all  the  lamps  before  the 
boat  left  her  dock  at  West  Fiftieth  street  early  Wednes- 
day morning  and  that  he  had  not  been  in  the  room 
except  to  see  that  everything  was  all  right.  He  swore 
that  just  before  the  boat  left  East  Third  street  the 
second  cabin  was  all  right. 

Along  the  Astoria  shore,  wheie  there  are  man}- 
yards  for  the  building  of  small  boats,  the  trouble  was 
known  sooner  than  it  was  on  the  steamer  itself.  As  the 
uSlocum,>  passed  Broadway,  Astoria,  John  E.  Ronan,  a 


24  FRIGHTFUL  CATASTROPHE  BY  FIRE  AND  WATER. 

Dock  Department  employee,  was  struck  with  the  gayety 
of  the  steamer,  with  her  nags,  her  music  and  her  load  of 
hilarious  children,  and  called  to  a  companion  : 

"  Look  at  the  'Slocum!'  Don't  it  make  you  hate 
to  work  when  you  see  a  crowd  having  as  good  a  time  as 
that?" 

But  a  quarter  of  a  mile  further  on,  William  Alloway, 
the  captain  of  a  dredge,  saw  a  burst  of  smoke  puff  out 
from  the  lower  deck  of  the  "  Slocum  "  just  forward  of  the 
smokestacks.  He  let  off  four  blasts  of  his  dredge  whistle. 
At  the  same  moment  other  boats  on  each  side  of  the  river 
began  to  toot  shrill  warnings.  Alloway  and  his  men 
could  see  a  scurrying  on  the  decks  of  the  "Slocum." 
They  wondered  why  Captain  Van  Schaick  didn't  back 
his  boat  right  into  the  Astoria  shore. 

"It  seemed  to  me,"  Alloway  said,  "as  though 
he  was  having  some  trouble  with  his  wheel  and  as 
though  she  wasn't  minding  it,  and  as  if  he  couldn't  get 
his  signals  into  his  engine  room.  But  anyway,  he  went 
right  ahead." 

ALARM  AT   LAST  GIVEN   ON   BOARD. 

From  the  best  understanding  of  the  situation  which 
could  be  gained  from  those  who  were  left  alive  when 
everything  was  over,  it  was  quite  a  while  after  the 
" Slocum"  was  first  found  to  be  on  fire  that  the  serious- 
ness of  the  situation  was  understood  by  all  of  her  officers 
and  crew.  Very  few  of  the  passengers  knew  anything 
of  the  real  danger  they  were  in  until  the  burning  and 
drowning  had  begun. 

Eddie  Flanagan  was  the  "Slocunrs"  mate.  On 
excursion  steamers  the  safety  and  comfort  of  the  pas- 
sengers are  delegated  to  the  mate,  while  the  captain  is  in 


FRIGHTFUL  CATASTROPHE  BY  FIRE  AND  WATER  26 

the  pilot  house  as  he  is,  very  properly,  always  while  the 
boat  is  in  motion.  To  Flanagan  there  came  a  deckhand 
and  Steward  McGann.  He  caught  Flanagan  by  the 
shoulder  and  said  : 

"  Mate,  there's  a  fire  forward  and  it's  got  a  pretty 
good  headway." 

Flanagan  jumped  down  through  the  dark  space  in 
the  middle  of  the  boat  and  turned  the  lever  of  the  fire 
drill  alarm.  He  sent  McGann  to  warn  Captain  Van 
Schaick.  The  crew  was  not  enough  to  handle  so  many 
passengers.  The  fire  crackled  up  through  one  deck  after 
another,  licking  out  far  on  the  port  side.  There  was  a 
rush  for  the  stern.  Some  of  the  children  thought  that 
the  whole  alarm  was  a  joke  and  laughed  and  pummelled 
one  another  as  they  ran.  The  mothers  didn't.  They 
lumbered  after,  trying  vainly  to  keep  hold  of  some  one 
garment  on  the  bodies  of  each  one  of  their  youngsters. 

GETTING  OUT  THE   HOSE. 

Captain  Van  Schaick  ran  back  from  the  pilot  house 
and  saw  that  Flanagan  had  two  lines  of  hose  run  from 
the  steamer's  fire  pumps  toward  the  second  cabin,  and 
that  the  water  was  already  spurting  through  them.  The 
fire  drill  on  the  "  Slocum  "  was  always  well  done.  It  was 
held,  without  any  requirement  of  law,  once  every  week. 
But  this  fire  was  beyond  any  mere  fire  drill.  It  took 
Captain  Van  Schaick  only  a  minute  to  see  that  he  ought 
to  get  his  passengers  ashore  as  soon  as  ever  he  could. 
He  determined  on  the  north  shore  of  North  Brother 
Island. 

It  takes  time  to  read  of  all  these  things.  It  took 
almost  no  time  at  all  for  them  to  happen.  The  yells  and 
screams  of  the  few  people  who  were  caught  on  the  decks 


26  FRIGHTFUL  CATASTROPHE  BY  FIRE  AND  WATER 

below  the  hurricane  deck  forward  were  ringing  horribly 
across  the  water.  The  roar  and  crackle  of  the  oil-fed 
flames  shut  these  screams  off  from  the  frightened  mass 
of  Sunday  school  people  aft. 

Kelk  and  Van  Tassel  had  leaped  into  the  crowds 
when  the  firegongs  rang.  It  was  due  to  them  that  more 
women  and  children  were  not  caught  forward  of  the  fire. 
They  herded  the  people  back  like  sheep  until  nearly  the 
whole  company  were  huddled  together  on  the  broad  after- 
decks.  The  fire  was  eating  its  way  back  steadily.  The 
people  were  getting  more  and  more  frightened.  Mothers 
whose  children  had  been  separated  from  them  in  the  rush 
were  getting  frantic  and  dashing  madly  through  the 
crowd.  Confusion  grew  almost  as  fast  as  the  fire  at  the 
other  end  of  the  boat  was  growing.  Van  Tassel  took  to 
the  rail. 

TRYING  TO  QUIET  THE   CROWD. 

"Now,  everybody  keep  quiet  !"  he  shouted  again 
and  again,  waving  his  big  arms  reassuringly  at  women 
who  were  grasping  the  rail  and  already  leaning  over  and 
trying  to  make  up  their  minds  to  jump. 

Pastor  Haas  had  found  his  wife  and  his  twelve-year- 
old  daughter  Gertrude  and  had  put  them  near  the  back 
of  a  companionwa}^  where  he  was  sure  he  could  find 
them.  He,  too,  tried  to  calm  his  people.  He  might  as 
well  have  tried  to  calm  the  whirling  tide  that  was  bearing 
the  burning  steamer  along  to  its  end.  They  were  fight- 
ing now.  Mothers  who  had  started  side  by  side  with  an 
endless  fund  of  sympathy  for  domestic  difficulties  were 
fighting  like  wild  beasts. 

Screams  came  from  the  water.  A  woman  looked 
over  and  saw  three  children  floating  by   on  the  starboard 


FRIGHTFUL  CATASTROPHE  BY  FIRE  AND  WATER.  27 

side.  The  head  of  one  of  them  was  covered  with  blood 
where  a  blade  of  the  paddlewheel  had  wounded  it.  The 
woman  screamed  just  once,  so  loud  that  for  a  moment  all 
the  other  horrible  sounds  of  the  boat  seemed  hushed. 
She  pointed  a  finger  at  the  little  bodies  that  were  floating 
back  from  the  forward  decks. 

"Frieda!"  she  screamed.  "Meine  Frieda!" 
Before  a  hand  could  be  raised  to  stop  her,  if  indeed 
there  was  any  one  there  at  that  moment  cool  enough  to 
raise  a  hand,  the  mother  jumped  on  the  seat  and  threw 
herself  over  the  rail.  She  sank,  whirling  over  and  over 
in  the  swift  current.  So  did  the  children.  But  other 
bodies  came.  As  the  flames  worked  upward  and  back- 
ward more  people  were  driven  to  jump  to  escape  being 
burned.  Mercifully,  the  pilot  house,  being  forward  and 
up  in  the  air,  was  in  a  position  which  the  flames  found  it 
hard  to  reach.  The  captain  and  his  pilots  were  able  to 
keep  steering. 

It  seemed  to  be  the  captain's  purpose  as  he  came  up 
past  130th  street  to  try  to  find  a  berth  on  The  Bronx  side 
of  the  stream.  There  are  a  number  of  coal  and  wood 
yards  along  there  and  some  factories.  Rivermen  said 
that  he  might  well  have  carried  out  his  plan.  The  land 
forces  of  the  Fire  Department  could  have  reached 
him  there.  But  he  said  that  a  tug  warned  him  off, 
telling  him  that  he  would  only  be  setting  fire  to  the  shore 
buildings  and  would  not  be  helping  his  people  in  the 
least,  if  he  ran  in  there. 


CHAPTER  II. 
OUR  COUNTRY  AGHAST  AT  THE  TRAGEDY. 

THE  u  General  Slocum,"  observed  now  by  hundreds  of 
horror  dazed  people  on  both  sides  of  the  stream  and 
on  the  islands,  turned  again  towards  North  Brother. 
Steamers  and  tugs  from  far  down  stream  were  making 
after  her.  The  Department  of  Correction  boat  "Massasoit" 
was  on  the  far  side  of  the  Brother  Island.  Her  captain 
lay  in  wait  for  the  "Slocum,"  not  knowing  through  what 
channel  she  would  come.  From  downstream  came  the 
slim,  white  "Franklin  Edson,"  the  Health  Department  boat. 
Thence,  too,  came  the  sturdy  little  "Wade,"  with  her  tough 
talking,  daredevil,  great  hearted  little  captain,  Jack 
Wade.  There  came  also  the  tugs  uTheo"  and  uEasy  Time," 
tooting  their  whistles,  headed  for  the  burning  steamer. 

On  board  the  uSlocumv  horror  was  being  piled  on 
horror  too  fast  for  anyone  to  keep  track  of  them,  The 
fire,  leaping  now  high  above  the  frame  work  of  the 
steamer's  hog  back,  and  roaring  with  a  smoky  glare  of 
red  tongues  up  thirty  feet  over  the  tall  brown  smoke- 
stacks, had  begun  to  scorch  the  edges  of  the  compact 
mass  of  women  and  children  who  were  crowding  back  out 
of  its  way  at  the  rear  end  of  the  boat. 

The  greater  number  of  these  people  by  far  were  on 
The  Bronx  side  of  the  decks.  They  seemed  to  feel,  poor 
creatures,  that,  small  as  their  chance  for  rescue  was,  when 
it  came  it  would  come  from  the  thickly-populated  shore 
rather  than  from  the  bleak,  rocky,  bare  spaces  on  the 
islands  on  the  starboard  side.  The  "Slocum"  was  now 
28 


OUR  COUNTRY  AGHAST  AT  THE  TRAGEDY.  29 

opposite    138th    street,   heading    partly  across  the   river 
toward  North  Brother  Island. 

With  a  crack  and  echoing  volley  of  screams  that  set 
on  edge  the  teeth  of  men  hardened  to  almost  any  form  of 
death  or  evidence  of  pain,  the  port  rail  of  the  "SlocurnV 
after-deck  gave  way  and  all  the  people  near  it  slipped 
and  slid,  one  over  another,  into  the  water.  She  had 
hardly  gone  200  yards  further  on — indeed,  by  ones 
and  threes  and  twos  and  sevens,  gaily  dressed  women  and 
little  tots  all  in  white  were  seen  whirling  down  from  the 
deck  into  the  racing  tide — when  worse  came.  The 
steamers  and  tngs  in  pursuit  were  catching  up  one 
woman  here  or  a  child  there,  but  it  was  not  much  they 
could  do.  The  tide  was  too  swift,  and  there  was  too  much 
work  to  be  done  ahead  to  warrant  any  delay  over  indi- 
viduals. 

CLOUD  OF  SMOKE   AND   FLAMES. 

There  was  a  puff  like  a  great  cough  down  in  the 
"Slocum's"  inwards.  A  red  starry  cloud  of  sparks  and 
smoke  and  flames  shot  up  and  the  greater  part  of  the 
superstructure  aft  plunged  forward  into  the  flames.  How 
many  hundreds  of  lives  were  snuffed  out  in  that  one 
instant  nobodv  will  ever  know.  Outsiders  could  see 
writhing,  crawling  figures  in  the  burning  wreckage,  slip- 
ping down  further  and  further  into  the  flames  until  they 
were  gone.  As  bees  cling  along  a  branch  when  they  are 
swarming,  there  was  a  thick  clustering  of  women,  all 
screaming,  and  boys  and  girls  around  the  edges  of  so 
much  of  the  superstructure  as  was  still  standing. 

At  the  very  back  Kelk,  the  policeman,  was  standing 
catching  up  some  of  the  smallest  children,  and  hurling 
them  out  at  the  decks  of  the  nearest  following  steamers. 


30  OUR    COUNTRY  AGHAST  AT  THE  TRAGEDY. 

Mothers  threw  their  children  overboard  and  leaped  after 
them.  When  the  stanchions  bnrned  ont  and  the  super- 
structure fell  families  were  separated. 

Thus  it  happened  to  Dominie  Haas.  He  had  given 
up  as  hopeless  any  effort  to  get  the  people  quiet,  and  had 
just  found  his  wife  and  daughter.  The  crash  came  and 
he  lost  them. 

BIG  STEAMBOAT  ALL  ABLAZE. 

Now  the  the  big  steamer,  ablaze  for  more  than  two- 
thirds  of  her  250  feet  of  length,  was  rounding  the  point 
of  North  Brother  Island.  The  flames  were  reaching  out 
for  the  pilot-house.  The  door  toward  the  fire  was  black- 
ened here  and  there  and  the  paint  blisters  were  bursting 
with  little  puffs  of  fire.  But  the  hundred  nurses  and  the 
tuberculosis  patients — all  the  others  had  scarlet  fever 
and  other  contagious  diseases  and  were  kept  indoors — 
gathered  eagerly  on  shore  waiting  a  chance  to  help,  saw 
old  man  Van  Schaick  and  his  pilots  at  their  wheel, 
straining  forward  as  though  by  their  own  physical  efforts 
they  could  make    the  boat  go  faster. 

The  captain  and  Van  Wart  are  both  of  scrawny, 
hollow-cheeked  build.  Both  have  sandy  side  whiskers, 
cropped  close.  Van  Wart  is  taller  than  the  captain. 
Weaver,  the  other  pilot,  is  of  heavier  build.  They  made 
a  wonderful  picture,  the  three  of  them.  Afterward,  when 
the  horrors  were  all  over  except  the  most  ghastly  horror 
of  all — the  piling  up  and  labelling  of  the  dead — men 
spoke  of  the  picture.  It  was  at  no  moment  certain  that 
the  pilot  house  would  not  shrivel  up  and  vanish  in  a  puff 
of  smoke.  If  it  did  the  "Slocuni  "  would  never  get  close 
enough  to  the  shore  to  make  it  possible  for  help  to  be 
given  to  the  passengers  who  were  still  living.     And  the 


OUR  COUNTRY  AGHAST  AT  THE  TRAGEDY.  :;i 

two  old  men  and  the  younger,  with  never  a  look  back- 
ward, whirled  their  wheel  and  braced  it,  and  with  their 
teeth  set  close  together  and  never  a  word  kept  their  eyes 
fixed  on  the  one  little  stretch  of  rock}-  beach  where  it 
was  possible  for  a  steamer  as  big  as  the  "Slocum  "  to  be 
beached  accurately  and  safely. 

They  succeeded  in  the  fight  that  they  had  been  mak- 
ing all  the  way  from  the  Sunken  Meadows,  where  the 
"Seawanhaka"  was  beached  years  ago.  Captain  Van 
Schaick  was  past  the  Snnken  Meadows,  he  said,  before 
he  knew  that  he  had  a  fire  on  his  boat,  and  the  tide  was 
too  strong  to  let  him  turn  back  to  beach  her  there,  even 
had  there  been  any  way  of  rescue  out  there  in  the  middle 
of  the  river. 

SWAM   TO    BURNING    STEAMER. 

The  only  heartening  incidents  of  the  whole  horrible 
half  hour  began  happening  as  soon  as  the  "Slocum's" 
bottom  scraped  on  the  North  Brother  Island  shore,  about 
twenty-five  feet  from  the  sea  wall. 

The  "  Massasoit,"  which  was  the  closest  boat  behind 
the  "  Slocum  "  when  she  struck,  drew  so  much  water  that 
it  was  impossible  to  get  her  bow  within  fifty  feet  of  the 
"  Slocum."  It  didn't  make  any  difference  to  Carl  Rappa- 
port,  her  coxswain.  He  took  a  running  jump  forward 
over  the  bow  and  swam  toward  the  burning  steamer.  Like 
a  big  red-headed  St.  Bernard,  he  grabbed  two  babies  and 
swam  back  to  his  own  boat.  Meantime  the  captain  of  the 
"  Massasoit"  was  putting  boats  overboard  as  fast  as  he 
knew  how.  When  these  were  out  picking  up  people  from 
the  water  wherever  they  could,  Rappaport  was  floun- 
dering around  helping  from  the  water  side. 

The  "Franklin   Edson,"  with  her  new  clean  coat  of 


32       OUR  COUNTRY  AGHAST  AT  THE  TRAGEDY. 

white  and  gilt  paint,  drew  less  water  than  the  "  Massa- 
soit,"  and  went  right  up  to  the  "Slocum's  "  side  so  that 
people  jumped  from  the  burning  decks  and  were  dragged 
back  to  safety.  For  safety  was  not  on  the  forward  deck 
of  the  '*Edson."  Her  forward  windows  were  cracked  by 
the  heat  and  there  are  the  marks  of  flames  for  the  forward 
thirty  feet  of  her  superstructure. 

Jack  Wade,  master  and  owner  of  his  little  tug,  curs- 
ing like  a  truckman  stuck  in  the  middle  of  a  Broadway 
jam,  was  pitching  his  life-preservers  over,  turning  loose 
his  boats  and  pushing  up  so  close  to  the  burning  decks 
that  the  hair  on  his  brawny  arms  frizzed  and  his  men  had 
their  shirts  burned  off  their  backs.  It  wasn't  worth  while 
afterward  to  attempt  to  get  this  crew  to  tell  how  many 
lives  it  saved.      They  had  been  too  busy  to  count. 

SHOVED    HIM    OVEREOARD. 

Ruddy  McCarroll  was  plain  beaten  out  for  the  first 
time  in  his  life.  The  effort  which  finished  him  had  been 
getting  a  very  heavy  German  woman  over  the  side,  single 
handed.  When  she  was  aboard  she  began  to  scream. 
Ruddy  laid  himself  out  flat,  face  down  along  the  rail,  and 
was  sure  he  was  going  to  die,  he  was  so  exhausted.  He 
heard  the  fat  woman  say  : 

"  Wake  up,  you  !  wake  up  !  "  but  he  didn't  know  she 
i  was  talking  to  him. 

"  There  is  n^  Claus  in  the  water,"  she  screamed. 
Without  more  ado  she  shoved  Ruddy  overboard.  He 
floundered  around,  caught  the  boy,  and  managed  to  get 
aboard  again.  The  fat  woman  grabbed  Claus  and  started 
down  the  boat  with  him.  Ruddy  shook  his  head  with  a 
look  that  was  almost  a  smile,  and  then  fell  on  his  face  in 
a  faint. 


OUR  COUNTRY   AG  HAS!    AT  THE    I'KAGKDY. 

All  along  the  shore,  as  the  burning  steamboat  "had 
come  along  the  stream  on  the  breast  of  the  tide,  fire 
alarms  had  been  rung.  One  alarm  at  the  foot  of  138th 
street  was  rung  three  times.  There  was  nothing  the  fire- 
men could  do  when  they  came,  except  just  one  thing, 
which  was  done  at  once.  The  captain  of  the  first  company 
to  arrive  at  the  rivers  edge  telephoned  for  the  fireboat 
"  Zophar  Mills."  She  came  up  the  river,  screaming,  with 
a  voice  that  outscreamed  all  the  other  whistles  which 
were  being  blown  in  every  factory  and  yard  from  which 
the  blazing  steamship  could  be  seen.  The  captain  of  the 
"Mills"  saw  that  the  "Slocuni"  was  beached  and  that 
rescuers  were  more  needed  than  pumpers  of  water.  He 
ran  into  138th  street  and  took  aboard  Captain  Geohegan 
and  all  the  reserves  of  the  Alexander  avenue  station  and 
took  them  over  the  river  to  help  in  the  work  of  picking- 
people  out  of  the  water  from  rowboats  and  tugs.  There  is 
a  big  marble  works  opposite  North  Brother  Island.  The 
boss,  when  he  saw  the  "Slocum,"  knocked  off  all  work 
and  sent  his  150  men  across  in  any  and  ever}'  sort  of  a 
craft  that  they  could  lay  their  hands  on. 

HUNDREDS  OF   RESCUERS  AT  WORK. 

Meantime  the  hundred  nurses  and  the  tuberculosis 
patients  were  doing  wonderful  things.  Delicate-looking 
young  women,  in  the  dainty  white  uniforms  which  nurses 
wear,  ran  down  to  the  water's  brink  and  waded  in  up  to 
their  necks  and  formed  human  chains,  along  which  strug- 
gling half-drowned  refugees  were  passed.  Miss  O'Don- 
nell,  the  assistant  nurse  in  charge,  went  out  and  brought 
in  seven  dead  people  and  eight  liviug.  Every  other 
nurse  in    the    place    was    doing    nearly    as    well.       Dr. 

Watson,  the  head  of  the  hospital,  was  out  in    the    water 
n.v.  3 


34  OUR   COUNTRY   AGHAST  AT   THE  TRAGEDY. 

with  them,  cheering  them  on.  Mary  McCann,  a 
sixteen-year-old,  a  ward  helper,  just  over  from  Ireland, 
swam  out  four  times  and  each  time  brought  a  living 
child  to  the  shore. 

Even  though  relieved  by  these  evidences — but  one 
or  two  out  of  hundreds  that  happened  unrecorded — of  the 
working  of  good  and  brave  human  hearts,  the  misery  and 
the  horror  were  going  on  almost  undiminished.  The 
great  hulk  was  still  burning  like  a  furnace  on  top  of  the 
water.  Living  men  and  women  were  still  rolling  out 
from  her  decks.  Hundreds  sought  shelter  from  the  heat 
under  the  paddle  boxes,  which  seemed  slow  to  burn.  In 
there,  among  the  wet  paddle  blades,  the  rescue  boats 
were  filled  again  and  again. 

BOY   CLIMBS   FLAGSTAFF. 

Long  after  every  one  had  given  up  any  idea  that 
there  was  a  human  life  in  the  forward  part  of  the  boat, 
except  those  of  Captain  Van  Schaick  and  his  two  pilots, 
there  was  a  shout  of  surprise  and  agony  on  shore.  A 
small  boy — he  seemed  about  six  years  old — climbed  up  to 
the  flagstaff  and  began  to  make  his  way  up  as  though  to 
get  away  from  the  deck,  which  was  burning  under  him. 
He  climbed  a  little  higher  and  a  little  higher  with  each 
jump  of  the  tongues  of  flame  from  below,  until  he  was 
almost  at  the  top. 

He  wras  a  sturd}r  looking  little  chap,  and  each  time 
he  found  he  had  not  gone  far  enough,  he  would  shake 
his  yellow  curls  determinedly  and  work  his  way  a  few 
inches  more.  It  was  a  brave  fight.  He  lost  it.  The 
flagstaff  began  to  tremble,  just  as  a  boat  was  getting 
around  in  position  to  get  at  the  child.  The  staff  fell 
back  into  the  floating  furnace,  and  the  boy  with  it. 


OUR    COUNTRY  AGHAST   AT   THE    TRAGEDY.  86 

As  fast  as  dead  and  living  were  brought  ashore,  the 
weaker  of  the  convalescent  patients  took  them  and  car- 
ried them  up  on  the  lawn.  There  was  a  constantly  in- 
creasing number  of  physicians  coining  over  from  the 
mainland,  some  of  them  in  row-boats.  Every  burnt 
woman  or  child  who  showed  any  signs  of  life  was  carried 
into  the  buildings.  The  nurses'  quarters  and  the  doc- 
tors' quarters  and  the  stables  and  every  place  that  had  a 
roof  where  cots  could  be  erected  was  filled — except  those 
in  which  there  were  contagious  diseases. 

DEAD   LYING  IN   ROWS. 

The  dead  were  laid  out  in  long  rows  on  the  grass. 
The  living  walked  or  were  carried  by  them.  Heartrend- 
ing recognitions  were  there  ;  women  throwing  themselves 
on  the  bodies  of  their  children,  children  catching  at  their 
mothers'  hands  and  begging  them  to  "wake  up,"  and 
screaming  inconsolably  when  they  realized  that  there 
would  be  no  waking  up. 

There  was  too  much  to  be  done  at  once  for  any  list 
to  be  kept  of  those  who  were  rescued.  The  Rev.  Mr. 
Haas  was  pulled  out  of  the  water  in  which  he  had  fallen 
soon  after  she  beached,  and  found  to  be  not  very  badly 
injured.  But  it  was  more  than  an  hour  before  he  could 
be  found  and  identified. 

On  many  of  the  bodies  which  were  recovered  were 
life  preservers  which  seemed  to  have  been  perfectly 
worthless.  ,  Assistant  District  Attorney  Oarvan's  atten- 
tion was  called  to  a  collection  of  the  "Slociiin's"  life-pre- 
servers which  had  been  made  by  Captain  Jack  Wade. 
These  life-preservers  were  covered  with  such  flimsy, 
rotten  stuff  that  they  could  be  ripped  open  by  a  scratch 
with  one's  thumbnail.     They  were  rilled  with  ground-up 


36       OUR  COUNTRY  AGHAST  AT  THE  TRAGEDY. 

cork  instead  of  with  solid  chunks  which  would  retain 
their  buoyancy.  Captain  Wade,  who  threw  away  a  hun- 
dred dollars'  worth  of  really  good  life-preservers  to  the 
"SlocumV  passengers,  was  highly  indignant  over  the 
matter. 

"Look  what  they  let  a  boat  of  2,500  passengers 
carry,"  he  said,  "and  then  look  at  what  they  make  me 
buy,  when  I'm  only  licensed  to  carry  eighteen. "• 

The  work  of  recovering  bodies  went  on  steadily  from 
the  time  when  all  hope  of  saving  more  lives  ended. 
Nearly  a  hundred  policemen,  assisted  by  men  from  all 
the  hospitals  and  morgues,  went  out  in  small  boats  and 
waded  out  and  worked  from  the  shore  and  from  the  decks 
of  the  tugs  with  grappling  hcoks,  dragging  up  all  that 
was  left  of  victims  of  the  disaster.  The  bodies  of  some 
of  those  who  were  burned  were  in  indescribably  horrible 
condition,  and  only  with  the  greatest  difficulty  could 
be  singled  out  and  identified. 

A  SHOCK   OF  SENSIBILITIES. 

In  the  rush  and  confusion  there  were  many  things 
which  in  the  face  of  a  disaster  less  appalling  would  have 
shocked  the  sensibilities  of  the  most  hardened  man  who 
witnessed  them ;  such,  for  instance,  as  the  sight  The 
Sun  tug  encountered  on  one  of  its  trips  across  to  North 
Brother  Island — a  rowboat,  with  two  men  at  the  oars,  and 
a  small  boy,  who  was  holding  a  line  by  which  were  towed 
the  bodies  of  three  women,  dressed,  all  three,  in  flimsy 
white  dresses.  Nobody  was  to  blame.  The  boat  would 
have  been  swamped  with  the  three  bodies  inside. 

At  10.30  o'clock  at  night  415  corpses  had  been  re- 
covered and  tagged  at  North  Brother  Island.  Fifty  had 
been  recovered  at  other  points.      They  included  a  dozen 


OUR  COUNTRY  AGHAST  AT  THE  TRAGEDY.       37 

that  had  first  been  lauded  at  Oak  Point.  More  were  com- 
ing at  the  rate  of  twenty  an  hour. 

The  police  of  the  harbor  squad,  assisted  by  volun- 
teers, were  wading  and  rowing  about  the  shore  picking 
them  up  with  grappling  hooks.  So  numerous  were  the 
corpses  that  earlv  in  the  evening  bodies  were  recovered 
at  the  rate  of  one  a  minute. 

All  the  boats  used  by  the  police  and  other  workers 
were  equipped  with  lanterns.  In  addition  lights  were 
hung  on  poles  that  had  been  stuck  in  the  mud  along  the 
shore  of  the  island.  The  police  boat  "Patrol"  stood  by 
constantly  with  a  big  searchlight  played  on  the  waters. 
The  employees  of  the  hospital  rigged  up  temporary  lines 
of  incandescent  lights  along  the  lawn  to  aid  those  at  work 
in  tabulating  and  searching  the  bodies. 

LAID   IN   GROUPS. 

As  soon  as  the  bodies  were  taken  from  the  water  they 
were  laid  in  groups  of  four  each.  They  were  first  tagged 
and  then  searched.  All  jewels,  papers  and  valuables 
taken  from  the  bodies  were  thrown  into  huge  bags.  Each 
batch  of  valuables  taken  from  a  body  was  tagged  with 
the  number  corresponding  with  that  on  the  body. 

After  the  searching  and  tagging  of  the  bodies  had 
been  completed  photographs  were  taken  of  the  groups  of 
four.     This  was  done  by  the  use  of  flashlights. 

Dr.  Darlington,  president  of  the  Health  Board, 
arrived  early  in  the  afternoon  and  was  still  seen  superin- 
tending his  mtn  and  hustling  with  his  coat  off  at  mid- 
night. Coroner  O'Gorman  was  also  still  there  at  that 
hour.  Police  Commissioner  McAdoo  had  left  shortly 
before  9  o'clock. 

Before  leaving  Mr.   McAdoo  said   he   would  in  the 


38       OUR  COUNTRY  AGHAST  AT  THE  TRAGEDY. 

near  future  confer  with  the  Dock  Department  concerning 
a  plan  to  have  the  police  hereafter  inspect  every  steamer, 
excursion  or  otherwise,  before  it  leaves  a  dock.  In 
this  way  the  Commissioner  sa}-s  he  thinks  another 
terrible  disaster  as  that  which  befell  the  "Slocum"  might 
be  averted. 

Just  as  he  was  leaving  the  island  some  one  called 
Mr.  McAdoo's  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  work  in 
caring  for  the  dead  was  made  doubly  difficult  owing  to 
the  lack  of  proper  light.  As  soon  as  he  was  told  this  the 
Commissioner  hurried  to  a  telephone  and  called  up  the 
office  of  the  superintendent  of  the  Metropolitan  Street 
Railway.  "  Will  you  help  the  city  of  New  York  out?" 
asked  Mr.  McAdoo,  "  In  a  minute  !"  was  the  reply. 
"  Well,  then  send  up  six  of  those  gasolene  flare  lights 
you  folks  use  when  repairing  the  tracks  at  night,"  said 
the  Commissioner. 

MANY  WILLING  HELPERS. 

"We  will  send  twenty-six  if  3-011  want  them,"  said  the 
representative  of  the  street  railwa3^compan37.  Mr.  McAdoo 
said  that  six  would  be  enough.  It  was  just  fifty  minutes 
later  that  a  boat  containing  the  requested  lights  reached 
the  island.  Two  were  placed  on  the  lawn,  where  the 
bodies  were  being  tagged.  The  other  four  were  stationed 
along  the  shore  and  greath7  aided  the  men  at  work  in  the 
water.  The  powerful  lights  illuminated  the  faces  of  the 
dead  on  the  lawn  most  plain^-. 

Everybody  praised  the  doctors,  nurses  and  employees 
of  the  hospital  on  North  Brother  Island.  All  hands 
there  pitched  in  and  worked  unceasingl3r  from  the 
time  the  burning  boat  was  first  seen  until  late  at  night. 
Then  many    of    them,   especially  the  women,   actually 


01  R    i  01  NTRY  AGHAST   AT  THE    i  RAGED  Y.  89 

fell  from  exhaustion.  Dr.  Darlington  ordered  all 
hands  to  retire,  but  some  insisted  on  working'. 

At  ii  o'clock  at  night  Diver  John  Rice  returned 
from  the  wrecked  steamer  with  four  bodies  of  children. 
They  had  been  found  in  the  afterhold  of  the  vessel.  Rice 
said  that  the  divers  had  decided  to  make  no  more  descents 
into  the  wreck,  as  it  was  plain  to  them  that  their  labor 
would  be  useless. 

"We  searched  the  forward  part  of  the  boat,"  said 
Diver  Rice,  "  and  could  find  no  bodies.  She  has  settled 
down  with  a  crash  into  the  middle  and  we  couldn't 
explore  that  part.  I  suppose  there  are  a  lot  of  bodies 
there,  but  the  wreckers  will  have  to  get  in  their  work 
before  anyone  can  get  in  the  centre  of  the  vessel. 

"The  working  crew  are  going  to  work  on  that  part 
and  they  say  that  if  necessary  to  clear  it  they  will  split 
the  boat  in  two  parts.  We  divers  will  go  out  in  the 
morning  again." 

EXACT  TIME  OF  THE   DISASTER. 

The  watches  on  all  the  dead  recovered  early  in  the 
afternoon  had  stopped  at  10.20  o'clock.  The  watches 
taken  out  at  night  had  stopped  at  10.25  o'clock. 

Dr.  Darlington  was  reinforced  by  a  large  number  of 
inspectors  from  the  Health  Department  late  at  night. 
They  devoted  their  time  entirely  to  tagging  the  bodies 
and  arranging  for  their  transfer  to  East  Twenty-sixth 
street. 

The  only  one  of  the  ten  members  of  the  Erckling 
family  of  Nutley,  N.  J.,  who  was  saved  was  a  two-year- 
old  baby.  She  was  saved  by  the  nurse,  Louise  Gayling. 
The  Gayling  girl  is  twelve  years  old  and  was  hired  to 
watch   the   baby.     She   had   the    baby    when   the  crowd 


40       OUR  COUNTRY  AGHAST  AT  THE  TRAGEDY. 

rushed  panic-stricken  to  the  rear  of  the  boat.  When  she 
saw  that  they  couldn't  live  aboard  the  boat  the  little 
nurse  and  her  charge  jumped  overboard. 

"  I  went  down  under  the  water,  but  I  still  kept  hold 
of  the  baby,"  said  the  Gayling  girl.  "I  went  down  twice, 
and  the  second  time  I  came  up  beside  a  board.  I  held 
on  to  the  baby  with  one  arm  and  grabbed  the  board  with 
the  other.  I  didn't  know  whether  the  baby  was  alive  or 
not.  Finally  some  men  came  in  a  boat  and  took  us  in. 
When  they  told  me  the  baby  was  alive  I  couldn't 
believe  it." 

John  Ansel  of  103  East  Fourth  street,  whose  wife 
and  two  young  sons  were  on  the  "Slocurn,"  picked  out 
one  after  another  of  five  bodies  at  the  Alexander  avenue 
station  as  that  of  his  wife.  The  man  was  crazy,  with 
grief. 

He  told  the  police  that  early  in  the  day  he  had 
received  a  message  from  Germany  telling  of  the  death  of 
his  father,  and  within  five  minutes  heard  of  the  disaster 
to  the  uSlocuin,"  on  which  were  his  wife  and  children. 

Coroner  Berry  got  from  Ansel  the  initials  on  the 
inside  of  his  wife's  wedding  ring,  and  a  body  which  was 
not  one  of  those  picked  out  by  Ansel,  but  which  had 
already  been  identified  by  the  dress  as  that  of  Mrs.  Eliza- 
beth Diehl  of  905  East  Fifth  street,  was  found  to  be  Mrs. 
Ansel's.  The  ring  was  all  that  made  identification 
possible. 


CHAPTER  III. 

SCENES  OF  OVERWHELMING  GRIEF. 

The  following  telegram  was  received  at  St.  Mark's 
Lutheran  Church  on  the  night  of  the  disaster: 

George  C.  F.  Haas,  Pastor. 

Accept  my  profound  sympathy  for  yourself,  church 
and  congregation. 

Theodore  Roosevelt. 

The  Rev.  Haas,  who  was  prostrated  at  his  home,  was 
too  ill.to  receive  the  message.  It  would  have  required 
nerves  of  steel  to  bear  up  under  such  a  sudden  and  fatal 
bereavement.  President  Roosevelt's  message  was  given 
to  the  public  through  the  press,  and  showed  how  pro- 
foundly he  was  moved  by  the  great  calamity,  offering 
his  heartfelt  condolences  for  the  bereaved. 

All  day  long,  from  sunrise  until  darkness  shut 
off  even  the  melancholy  satisfaction  of  watching  for 
the  dead,  anxious  searchers  kept  up  their  unceasing 
vigilance,  and  at  midnight  there  had  been  recovered  561 
bodies,  for  the  great  part  women  and  children — mothers, 
who  weeks  before  had  planned  that  outing  for  their 
children  ;  little  ones  who  had  longed  for  the  coming  of 
the  happy  day. 

As  time  lapsed  the  disaster  swelled  in  sickening 
burden  of  overwhelming  tragedy,  more  dramatic  in  detail 
than  any  playwright's  genius  has  conceived  of  horror, 
and  soul-bereaving  in  its  pathos,  because  of  the  innocent 
years  and  hopeless  helplessness  of  its  victims. 

n 


42  SCENES  OF    OVERWHELMING  GRIEF. 

Human  sympathy,  "swelling  like  the  Solway  tide/' 
could  scarce  grasp  the  all-pitiless  desolation  which  laid 
waste  the  flower  of  scores  of  homes  and  rent  to  incon- 
solable bleeding  hundreds  of  hearts- 

Messages  of  sympathy  flowed  in  a  steady  stream 
from  all  parts  of  Europe  and  America,  all  attesting  alike 
the  inconceivably  appalling  immensity  of  the  catastrophe. 

The  East  Side  had  its  human  sympathies  aroused 
to  the  full,  and  down  by  the  river,  where  the  boats 
unloaded  their  dead,  thousands  gathered  throughout  the 
day.  Streets  leading  to  the  Morgue  were  blocked,  and 
only  with  difficulty  could  the  police  keep  clear  the  pas- 
sages leading  to  the  long  rows  of  coffins  for  those  who 
came  to  search  for  the  missing. 

DIVERS  SEARCHING  THE   WRECK. 

Up  the  Sound,  where  the  hulk  of  the  "  General 
Slocum "  lies  submerged,  showing  only  a  paddlebox, 
scores  of  small  craft  aided  the  tugs  in  grappling  for  the 
victims.  Divers  went  down  time  and  again,  and  when 
their  work  ended  for  the  day  they  declared  there  were 
no  more  bodies  in  the  wreck. 

A  score  of  times  a  diver  reappeared  after  his  plunge 
with  the  body  of  a  woman  or  a  child.  Two  of  them 
coming  to  the  surface  together  on  one  occasion  had  in 
their  arms  two  little  girls — sisters — clasped  in  each 
other's  embrace,  and  their  mother,  it  was  thought, 
whose  dead  hand  tightly  clenched  the  skirt  of  one  of 
them. 

As  far  as  it  was  within  their  power  the  divers 
searched  the  wreck  from  stem  to  stern,  but  there  were 
masses  of  broken  timbers  through  which  it  was  almost 
impossible  to  explore,  and  it  may  be  that  some  will  find 


SCENES  OF  OVERWHELMING  GRIEF.  13 

a  grave  under  those  sunken  timbers  until  the  hulk  is 
raised  or  the  waters  of  the  Sound  wash  away  the  last 
trace  of  the  wreckage. 

There  were  a  number  of  places  where  the  living 
might  have  landed,  and  it  was  believed  that  many  who 
were  reported  missing  were  safe,  and  eventually  would 
be  heard  from  by  the  officials  who  had  the  rescue  work 
in  hand.  Indeed,  a  surprising  number  of  persons  re- 
ported missing  were  found  to  have  been  saved,  thus  cut- 
ting the  list  of  missing  down  considerably  as  well  as  the 
probable  mortality  list. 

Many  persons  were  injured  in  the  panic  that  fol- 
lowed the  originating  of  the  fire  on  the  "  General  Slo- 
cuin,"  and  at  least  200  persons  were  taken  to  the  hospi- 
tals. 

LIVE   BODY  TOWED   FOR   MILES. 

Perhaps  the  most  remarkable  case  in  the  many 
appalling  experiences  of  those  who  were  on  the  uSlo- 
cum''  was  that  of  Miss  Clara  Hartman,  who  was  picked 
up  for  dead,  towed  behind  a  boat  for  several  miles,  wrap- 
ped in  a  tarpaulin  and  tagged  as  dead,  and  then  recovered 
consciousness  at  the  Alexander  Avenue  Police  Station. 
It  was  believed  she  would  recover. 

Although  man}-  of  the  bodies  taken  to  the  Morgue 
were  very  badly  mutilated,  and  the  clothing  in  many 
cases  almost  entirely  burned  off,  valuables  were  taken 
from  them  and  were  in  the  keeping  of  city  officials,  to  the 
extent  of  $200,000  or  more.  Several  of  the  men  and 
women  had  the  savings  of  a  lifetime  on  them  when  they 
perished.  Much  jewelry,  it  was  reported  to  the  police, 
had  been  lost,  but  an  explanation  may  be  found  in  the 
fact  that  it  was  destroyed  by  fire  rather  than  stolen. 


44  SCENES  OF  OVERWHELMING  GRIEF. 

Mayor  McClellan,  after  receiving  messages  of  con- 
dolences from  many  sources,  visited  North  Brother  Island 
and  later  visited  the  Morgue.  He  issued  a  proclamation 
to  the  citizens  of  New  York  and  appointed  a  relief  com- 
mittee of  prominent  men.  And  relief  was  sadly  needed 
in  that  little  East  Side  territory  which  the  vast  majority 
of  those  that  perished  were  accustomed  to  call  home. 

Among  the  people  who  had  miraculous  escapes 
were  Florence  Weiss  and  Mrs.  Nicholas  Schumacher. 
Some  one  threw  them  from  the  "  Slocum  "  upon  a  tug, 
and  dozens  of  others  came  tumbling  down  on  top  of 
them.  They  were  not  hurt.  They  said  the  boat  burned 
like  a  paper  box. 

JUMPED  AND   CAUGHT  A  WOMAN. 

Minnie  Weiss,  13  years  old,  was  on  the  bow  of  the 
excursion  steamer.  She  saw  smoke  and  then  a  tongue 
of  flames  eating  its  way  along  the  top  deck  toward  where 
she  stood.  The  crowd  made  a  rush  forward.  She 
climbed  down  the  side  and  got  to  the  first  deck,  where 
there  was  no  fire.  She  jumped  into  the  water  and 
caught  hold  of  a  woman  who  had  a  little  boy  in  hei 
arms.  A  rope  was  thrown  to  them  from  the  "  Massa- 
soit,"  and  they  were  dragged  on  board.  Minnie  was 
with  her  mother,  Mrs.  Otto  Weiss,  and  her  brother 
George,  who  was  15  years  old.  She  thought  that  both 
were  lost. 

George  Kirschner,  13  years  old,  jumped  from  the 
uSlocum  "  and  swam  ashore.  His  mother,  brother,  sister, 
grandfather  and  two  cousins  were  with  him.  He  said 
he  thought  they  were  all  lost. 

From  out  of  the  wreck  off  Hunt's  Point  and  from  the 
Sound    the    bodies    of    forty-one   more    victims   of    the 


Si  ENES   OF   OVERWHELMING    GRI] 

"Slocum"  tragedy  were  recovered  next  day  after  the 
disaster.  Two  of  this  number  only  came  from  the  wreck 
itself— the  charred  remains  of  an  infant  and  another  of  a 
girl  perhaps  thirteen.  The  remainder,  some  so  burned 
by  fire  that  they  might  never  be  recognized,  came  from 
out  the  eddy  off  North  Brother  Island. 

It  was  a  day  of  persistent,  systematic  search,  with 
the  police  and  all  other  departments  working  harmoni- 
ously on  the  water  or  anywhere  and  everywhere  their 
mournful  duty  called  them.  It  was  a  day  that  saw  the 
pier  heads  of  The  Bronx  for  hours  black  with  morbid 
humanity  ;  that  saw  the  water  alive  with  small  craft, 
kept  in  check  only  by  the  most  vigilant  police  super- 
vision, and,  strangest  of  all,  it  was  a  day  that  saw  steam- 
boat after  steamboat,  jammed  to  the  guard  rails  with 
excursionists,  pass  and  repass  the  scene,  bands  playing, 
children  and  young  people  dancing,  while  the  elders 
rushed  to  the  side  to  see  the  wreck. 

TRYING  TO   USE  SEARCHLIGHTS. 

Work  around  North  Brother  Island  proceeded  slowly 
after  ten  o'clock  on  Wednesday  uight,  although  the  tired 
policemen  and  the  score  or  more  boatmen  were  ready  and 
willing  to  continue  the  work  of  grappling.  During  the 
night  a  city  tug  came  up  and  tried  to  play  a  searchlight 
over  the  narrow  stretch  of  water  where  it  is  thought  the 
majority  of  the  lives  were  lost,  but  this  only  blinded  the 
men  at  work  and  gradually  the  number  of  searchers  was 
lessened  until  after  two  o'clock,  when  the  work  was  prac- 
tically at  a  standstill. 

Coroner  O' Gorman  and  his  assistants,  who  had 
worked  valiantly,  handling  nearly  four  hundred  and 
eighty  bodies  in  little  more  than  twelve  hours,  went  home 


46  SCENES  OF  OVERWHELMING   GRIEF. 

for  some  needed  rest.  Dr.  Stewart,  in  charge  of  the 
island,  prevailed  upon  his  staff  of  surgeons,  nurses  and 
attendants,  and  even  convalescent  patients,  to  try  to  take 
a  few  hours'  sleep. 

Only  along  the  seawall  was  there  any  sign  of  life,  v 
and  there  the  lanterns  of  the  police  in  one  section  lighted 
up  a  half  dozen  men  separating  and  sorting  the  odds  and 
ends  of  wearing  apparel,  while  in  another  section  near 
the  little  red  brick  morgue,  were  men  working  on  coffins 
of  rough  pine  against  the  certain  need  of  the  morrow. 
All  night  long,  too,  the  police  patrol  steadily  followed 
the  water's  edge  for  the  entire  circumference  of  the 
island  seeking  for  other  bodies. 

MANY   BOATS  ON   HAND. 

It  was  just  daybreak  when  the  search  was  renewed 
with  vigor.  So  soon  as  the  men  could  see  Captain  Dean, 
of  the  police  boat  patrol,  had  three  boats,  each  holding 
four  men,  out  with  grappling  hooks.  By  Inspector 
Albertson's  orders  three  other  boats  manned  by  police- 
men joined  them.  Within  an  hour  a  dozen  boats  in 
which  were  watermen  of  experience  specially  hired  were 
in  the  little  fleet. 

They  had  not  well  beguu  when  up  through  Hell 
Gate  came  the  Merritt-Chapman  Wrecking  Company's 
derrick  tug,  "The  Hustler;"  drawing  three  small  diving 
barges.  Captain  F.  J.  Risedorf  was  in  command  of  this 
fleet,  and  with  him  were  Albert  Blumberg,  Henry  Heyer 
and  Peter  Rice,  divers.  They  did  not  tarry  at  the  island 
but  went  north  where  the  low  tide  off  Hunt's  Point 
showed  the  starboard  paddle  box  of  the  ill-fated  steamer 
and  a  few  burnt  and  charred  spars. 

About  seven  o'clock  came  the  Sound   fleet  making 


SCENES   OF   OVERWHELMING   GRIEF.  17 

New  York  after  their  night's  run.  Immediately  that  the 
pulsations  of  the  great  screws  had  passed  came  the  har- 
vest of  the  dead.  One  after  another,  in  several  cases  two 
at  a  time,  the  searchers  came  to  the  shore  with  bodies. 
Now  it  was  mother  clasping  her  infant,  now  an  elderly 
woman,  a  young  woman,  and  child  after  child.  vSome  had 
but  a  vestige  of  their  clothing  left  on  them,  telling  of  a 
death  by  flames 

DROWNED    BY    MONEY, 

One  of  the  bodies  found  was  that  of  a  middle-aged 
man,  and  the  grappling  hooks  found  him  not  ten  feet 
from  the  beach.  In  his  pockets  when  he  was  brought 
ashore  was  found  a  bag  weighing  fully  twenty  pounds, 
filled  with  nickels,  pennies  and  small  silver.  Who  he  was 
was  not  known  at  the  Island. 

S.  H.  Bergh,  one  of  the  citizen  searchers,  found  the 
body  of  Mr.  Griffing  at  this  time.  He  weighed  nearly  300 
pounds,  and  in  his  effort  to  secure  him  Mr.  Bergh  fell 
overboard.  A  moment  later  another  hook  caught  a  baby 
carriage.  The  flames  had  sadly  burned  this,  but  still 
inside,  as  if  some  mother  had  rolled  it  overboard,  was 
found  the  body  of  a  child,  unrecognizable. 

It  was  nine  o'clock  then,  and  Coroner  O'Gorman, 
accompanied  by  his  physician,  Dr.  Curtin  ;  Jeremiah 
Fahey,  chief  clerk  ;  Police  Sergeant  Posthoff,  Alderman 
Dougherty  and  William  Mahoney,  returned  and  found 
awaiting  them  sixteen  bodies  picked  up  during  the  morn- 
ing. These  were  ticketed  and  their  valuables  and  other 
distinguishing  marks  noted.  The  Coroner  then  estimated 
that  he  had  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars' 
worth  of  securities,  money  and  jewelry  awaiting  identifi- 
cation. 


4<S  SCENES   OF  OVERWHELMING   GRIEF. 

There  were  watches  b}^  the  peck,  almost,  and  several 
hundred  rings  of  all  description.  From  one  woman,  Mrs. 
Susie  Zinger,  $32,000  in  securities,  a  bank  book  and  val- 
uable jewelry  had  been  taken.  The  bank  book  showed 
that  she  was  a  trustee  for  her  daughter.  From  another 
woman,  still  unidentified,  six  rings,  three  of  them  dia- 
mond, had  been  taken. 

The  rising  of  the  tide  then  brought  more  bodies  to 
the  surface.  One  was  that  of  a  woman  apparently  about 
thirty-five  years  of  age.  She  wore  a  gold  ring  engraved 
on  the  inside  with  the  letters  "A.  F.,"  then  a  wide  space 
and  the  word  "  Hope."  Within  an  hour  the  number  of 
recovered  dead  reached  twenty-six. 

FIFTY  MORE   RESERVE   POLICEMEN. 

By  this  time  the  crowd  of  the  curious  had  begun  to 
gather  on  the  water  in  small  boats,  while  the  pier  heads 
across  the  channel  were  crowded.  Then  it  was  that  Dr. 
Stewart,  representing  Health  Commissioner  Darlington, 
gave  orders  that  no  one  but  persons  having  business  were 
to  be  permitted  to  land,  while  Inspector  Albertson,  with 
Sergeant  Lane,  of  the  West  15 2d  street  station,  sent  out 
police  boats  as  a  guard  and  landed  fifty  more  reserve 
policemen  on  the  island. 

The  regular  attendants  at  the  hospital,  wearied  by 
their  hours  of  labor  on  the  previous  day  and  night,  sought 
to  bring  about  order  on  the  island.  The  well-kept  lawns 
were  ruined,  trampled  by  many  feet  and  cut  up  by  ve- 
hicles and  ambulances  ;  clothing  was  scattered  every- 
where— here  a  hat,  a  skirt,  a  baby's  shoe,  a  handkerchief, 
all  water-soaked  or  scorched.  Over  near  the  scarlet  fever 
ward  was  a  high  pile  of  coffins  for  children,  made  during 


SCENES   OF  OVERWHELMING  GRIEF.  (9 

the  night,  and  not  far  away,  against  another  ward,  was  a 
similar  pile  for  adults. 

Dr.  McLaughlin,  after  he  had  made  his  rounds,  said 
that  so  far  as  he  could  tell,  not  one  of  the  tuberculosis 
patients  who  assisted  in  the  work  of  rescue  on  Wednes- 
day was  suffering  au}T  ill  effects.  The  nurses,  too,  were 
recovering  from  their  hard  labors.  Several  swam  or  waded 
out  to  pull  in  drowning  and  had  administered  to  the  in- 
jured for  hours. 

Mrs.  Kate  White,  the  matron,  whose  entire  staff  of 
cooks  and  waiters  had  been  busy  far  into  the  night 
making  coffee  and  cooking  for  the  searchers,  were  better 
for  a  few  hours'  rest.  Mrs.  White  had  not  ceased  work- 
ing at  night,  and  with  her  assistants  had  fed  every 
searcher  several  times  during  the  day. 

GREAT   FLEET  OF   SMALL   BOATS. 

Around  the  wreck  of  the  steamer,  where  the  Merritt- 
Chapman  Wrecking  Company  men  were  at  work,  a  great 
fleet  of  small  boats,  untrammelled  by  police  rules  or 
regulations,  gathered  early. 

Blumberg  and  Heyer  were  the  first  to  go  beneath 
the  surface,  and  for  two  hours  they  went  slowly  over 
the  wreck  from  bow  to  stern.  Only  once  did  a  helmet 
appear,  and  that  was  when  one  of  them  came  slowly  to 
the  top,  and  in  his  arms  bore  little  more  than  a  fragment 
of  a  baby  burned  to  a  crisp.  The  helmet  was  not  re- 
moved and  no  word  was  said.  By  signs  he  made  it  under- 
stood that  the  body  had  been  found  forward,  wedged  in 
against  a  stanchion  of  the  upper  deck.  At  noon  the  men 
reappeared. 

"She  lays,"  said  Blumberg,  "in  the  mud  on  her  port 
side.     There  is  eighteen  feet  of  water  at  low  tide  aft  and 

N.V.  4 


50  SCENES   OF  OVERWHELMING  GRIEF. 

a  little  more  forward.  So  far  as  I  can  see,  the  hull  of 
the  'Slocum'  is  intact,  and  unless  they  have  been  warped 
by  heat,  the  engines  and  boilers  are  in  fairly  good  condi- 
tion." 

"Only  the  upper  deck  is  gone."  said  Heyer.  "I  went 
from  one  end  to  the  other  on  the  lower  deck  looking  for 
a  hatchway  in  which  bodies  might  be  found.  The  'Slo- 
cum'  was  shallow  and  there  is  no  hatchway,  I  believe.  I 
am  sure  there  are  no  more  bodies  in  theboat."  Hispartuer 
shook  his  head  in  corroboration. 

"There  may  be  some  about  the  wreck,"  added  Blum- 
berg.  "Of  course,  if  they  were  burned  when  she  listed 
they  slid  off  to  port  and  the  tide  may  have  wedged  them 
underneath,  but  they  are  not  so  many  as  some  people 
believe.  I  couldn't  find  any  when  I  walked  around 
fcer." 

EXCURSION   STEAMERS  VISIT  THE   SCENE. 

The  tide  was  full  then  and  the  men  did  no  more 
living  until  it  was  slack  again.  It  was  at  this  time  that 
the  fleet  of  excursion  steamers  began  to  pass.  First  came 
the  "Sirus,"  of  the  Iron  Steamboat  Company,  bound  up 
the  Sound.  So  great  was  the  rush  of  her  fifteen  hundred 
or  more  of  passengers  that  the  steamboat  listed  so  badly 
to  port  that  the  captain  turned  her  head  away. 

Before  the  "Sirus"  had  reached  North  Brother  Island 
a  band  had  been  playing  a  popular  air,  but  there  it  be- 
came silent,  nor  did  it  play  while  the  boat  passed  the  few 
remaining  spars  which  marked  the  resting  place  of  the 
"Slocum." 

Not  half  an  hour  later  followed  the  "Cygnus,"  of  the 
same  line,  also  crowded  to  the  guards.  She,  too,  listed 
under  the  rush  of  persons  eager  to  see  the  wreck.    After- 


SCENES  OF  OVERWHELMING  (.KIEF.  51 

ward  along  came  the  "Favorite,"  bearing  the  F.  J.  Good- 
win Association,  its  band  playing  and  flags  a-flying.  A 
Starin  line  barge  followed  then  and  an  hour  later  came 
another  barge. 

Work,  although  uninterrupted,  was  little  rewarded 
at  high  water  or  immediately  after  the  tide  had  turned, 
but  about  three  o'clock  body  after  body  was  recovered, 
when  the  "Massasoit,"  of  the  Health  Department  arrived, 
there  were  awaiting  on  the  pier  for  a  journey  to  the 
Morgue  just  thirty-six  bodies.  Piled  tier  on  tier,  the  cof- 
fins reached  from  bow  to  stern  on  the  boat. 

COMMENT  OF   HEALTH    COMMISSIONER. 

Mayor  McClellan  arrived  in  the  afternoon.  He  was 
accompanied  by  Health  Commissioner  Darlington  an 
Deputy  Corporation  Counsel  Breckenridge.  As  the  Mayor 
landed  on  the  pier  policemen  passed  before  him  along 
the  little  path  bearing  the  body  of  a  young  girl  on  a 
stretcher.  The  little  procession  paused  and  the  Mayor 
sorrowfully  shook  his  head. 

k>It  is  awful,"  he  said  to  Dr.  Darlington. 

The  Mayor's  stay  was  not  of  long  duration.  He 
went  to  the  home  of  Dr.  Roberts,  where  he  congratulated 
the  staff  on  its  work,  and  inquired  as  to  the  health  of  the 
nurses  and  patients  who  had  worked  on  the  day  before. 
Charles  and  Fred  Barclay,  who,  in  the  auxiliary  sloop 
had  picked  up  more  than  fifty  persons  the  day  before,  were 
brought  before  him,  and  warmly  commended.  Then  the 
Mayor  visited  the  beach,  where  he  could  see  the  grappling 
men  at  work. 

Before  he  returned  to  the  city  the  Mayor  interviewed 
Rice,  one  of  the  divers,  who  assured  him  that  there  were 
no  more  bodies  in  the  boat.      He  was  of  the  opinion  that 


52  SCENES  OF   OVERWHELMING   GRIEF. 

some  might  be  held  down   by  the  boat,  but  he  was  satis- 
fied there  were  not  many  of  these. 

With  low  water  and  change  of  the  tide  the  number 
of  bodies  found  increased.  Around  six  o'clock  five  bodies 
were  brought  out  in  as  many  minutes.  There  were  two 
boys,  a  girl,  woman  and  a  man.  The  woman  had  a  plain 
gold  wedding  ring  on  her  finger,  but  it  was  without  in- 
itials or  lettering.  There  was  nothing  in  her  pockets  or 
that  of  the  man  to  lead  to  their  identity,  but  in  the 
pockets  of  one  of  the  boys  was  a  note,  evidently  an  "  ex- 
cuse" which  the  lad  was  to  have  presented  at  school 
Thursday  morning.  It  was  sent  with  the  other  effects 
to  the  Morgue. 

FOUND  BY   DIVERS. 

A  launch  from  the  wreck  brought  the  second  body 
down.  This  was  half  the  body  of  a  girl  of  about  15. 
Rice,  the  diver,  in  groping  through  the  mud  under  the 
port  side  of  the  "  General  Slocum,"  had  found  it  there. 
There  was  absolutely  no  mark  of  identification. 

Emblems  of  mourning  appeared  on  hundreds  of 
doorways  down  in  the  old  German  colony  that  clusters 
about  the  little  red  brick  Lutheran  church  in  Sixth  street. 
Here  hung  a  streamer  of  black,  and  across  the  street  a 
cluster  of  white  flowers  all  but  hid  the  streamer  of  white 
that  told  of  the  death  of  a  baby  or  of  a  child  of  tender 
years. 

Down  the  street  a  little  further  perhaps  two  badges 
of  black  hung  side  by  side,  nor  was  it  infrequent  that 
place  had  been  found  for  one  of  black  and  another  of 
white  in  the  same  street  door. 

Walk  where  one  would,  from  Third  avenue  to  the 
river  on  the  east  and  from  First  street  in  the  south  to 


SCENES    OF  OVERWHELMING  GRIEF.  53 

Tenth  street  to  the  north,  the  scenes  of  death,  of  mourn- 
ers seeking  their  dead  or  wailing  over  their  lost  ones' 
bodies,  of  remnants  of  families  all  but  obliterated,  with 
those  left  behind  scarcely  able  as  yet  to  realize  the 
"Slocuin"  tragedy,  were  constantly  before  one. 

From  the  front  windows  of  little,  old-fashioned  brick 
dwellings  and  from  the  tiers  of  stories  of  more  modern 
apartment  houses  flags  hung  at  half  mast.  Men  and 
women  swarmed  in  the  streets  all  day  and  night,  and 
little  children  talked  in  whispers  of  the  horror  that  had 
taken  away  some  of  their  playmates.  It  was  no  unusual 
sign  to  see  a  group  of  women  on  the  sidewalks  drying 
their  eyes  as  they  condoled  with  one  another. 

With  more  demands  upon  them  to  take  care  of  the 
dead  than  they  dare  promise  to  fulfil,  the  undertakers  in 
that  section  of  the  city  found  their  establishments  be- 
sieged by  relatives  of  the  victims  of  the  catastrophe^ 
begging  of  them  that  they  arrange  for  the  burial  of  "just 
one  more."  Turned  away  by  one  undertaker,  another 
was  sought,  and  so  on  until  perhaps  a  mile  from  the  des- 
olate district,  an  undertaker  was  found,  one  who  would 
be  able  to  make  the  arrangements. 

UNDERTAKERS   IN    CHARGE. 

Four  undertakers  within  a  radius  of  four  blocks  of 
the  little  Lutheran  church  had  145  bodies  in  their  charge 
in  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  and  still  they  were  pleaded  ( 
with  to  accept  more.  In  the  establishment  of  Jacob  Herr- 
lich  fifty-two  bodies  had  been  cared  for,  and  around  the 
corner  in  avenue  A,  Philip  Herrlich  had  charge  of  thirty- 
one,  and  could  handle  no  more. 

There  are  about  thirty-five  undertaking  establishments 
between  Grand  street  on  the  south  and  Tenth  street  on 


54  SCENES   OF  OVERWHELMING  GRIEF. 

the  north,  and  it  was  these  that  were  principally  con- 
cerned in  the  burial  of  the  "  Slocum's  "  dead.  Hurrying 
the  bodies  from  the  Morgue  as  soon  as  the  indentifications 
were  made  and  the  permits  of  removal  issued,  they  were 
taken  to  the  various  undertaking  establishments  for 
preparation  for  burial.  Men  who  had  been  working  all 
through  Wednesday  night  were  in  readiness,  and  the 
bodies  were  carried  away  to  the  homes,  where  relatives 
or  friends  awaited  them. 

It  was  impossible  for  those  whose  duty  it  is  to  prepare 
the  dead  for  burial  to  care  adequately  for  all.  Thus  it  was 
that  in  a  few  isolated  cases  bodies  lay  in  rough  boxes  on 
the  sidewalks  until  room  could  be  made  within  doors  for 
their  accommodation. 

TEMPORARY  BOXES  IN   USE. 

With  this  unprecedented  demand  for  their  services, 
the  undertakers  called  for  assistance  upon  establishments 
in  Brooklyn  and  though  out  Manhattan.  Temporary 
boxes  were  all  in  use  early  in  the  morning,  and  wagon 
loads  of  them  were  brought  from  Brooklyn  and  from  the 
northernmost  part  of  the  city. 

The  undertakers  told  the  afflicted  families  that 
arrangements  could  not  be  made  to  furnish  at  the  most 
more  than  four  carriages  for  the  mourners. 

In  order  to  provide  hearses  it  was  found  necessary 
to  draft  these  vehicles  from  every  establishment  in  New 
York  City,  and  it  was  expected  that  a  few  would  have  to 
be  brought  from  New  Jersey.  There  were  many  of  the 
families  who  wanted  to  delay  the  funerals  until  Sunday. 
They  were  told  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  fix  upon 
that  day  as  all  would  likely  arrive  at  the   same   decision 


SCENES   OF   OVERWHELMING    GRIEF. 

and  it  would  be  impossible  for  men  or  horses  to  convey 
the  dead  to  their  last  resting  place. 

As  matters  stood  it  was  believed  that  some  few  small 
undertaking  establishments  entered  into  contracts  that 
they  would  be  unable  to  fulfil  simply  because  they  were 
not  equipped  with  sufficient  hearses  and  other  necessaries. 
vSome  of  the  larger  establishments  expected  that  at  the 
last  moment  they  would  be  forced  to  take  up  those  con- 
tracts and  carry  them  through. 

Throughout  that  section  of  the  city  the  black 
wagons  that  precede  the  hearse  in  the  undertaker's  duty, 
were  rolling  through  the  street  and  down  the  avenues 
weighted  down  by  the  dead.  Wherever  one  stopped  it 
was  surrounded  by  throngs  of  men,  women  and  children. 

STREET    FILLED    WITH    PEOPLE. 

Until  late  into  the  night  the  street  in  front  of  St. 
Mark's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  was  filled  with 
people.  Men  trooped  up  the  front  steps  of  the  church 
and  into  the  vestibule  to  inquire  for  loved  ones,  their 
countenances  portraying  a  night  of  sleeplessness  and 
hours  of  anguish.  Men  and  women,  their  hair  whitened 
and  their  forms  bent  by  age,  trudged  into  the  church 
asking  for  information. 

In  the  vestibule  of  the  church  a  long  table  had  been 
placed  and  at  it  sat  men  to  note  the  name  of  each  visitor 
and  the  names  of  those  inquired  for.  This  "  information 
bureau"  had  been  established  the  day  before,  but  it  had 
been  run  regardless  of  any  system  and  the  records  were 
practically  valueless.  This  was  changed  when  Commis- 
sioner McAdoo  sent  two  young  policemen  there  to  keep 
official  records  and  transmit  them  to  Police  Head- 
quarters. 


5H  SCENES   OF   OVERWHELMING    GRIEF. 

To  the  right  of  the  steps  leading  into  the  church  the 
Rev.  Frederick  Holter,  of  St.  Paul's  Lutheran  Church, 
Jersey  City,  placed  a  small  table  and  a  placard  announc- 
ing that  subscriptions  would  be  received  to  a  relief  fund. 
Browning,  King  &  Co.  sent  $100,  Magistrate  Flammer 
the  same  amount  and  Henry  Gaecker  contributed  $100. 
By  nightfall  $700  had  been  recorded  in  the  book  of  con- 
tributions. But  this  sum  was  made  up  by  amounts  that 
ranged  from  three  cents  to  $100. 

The  smallest  amount  was  contributed  by  a  poorly 
dressed  aged  woman,  who  walked  up  to  the  little  table 
and,  laying  down  three  pennies,  said: — "It's  all  I  have, 
sir,  but  I  want  to  give  it,  sir.  God  bless  you,  sir."  Three 
workingmen  passed  her  as  they  walked  to  the  table  and 
each  of  these  laid  down  a  five  cent  piece,  the  first  saying: 
— uWe  want  to  give  something  toward  your  fund."  They 
did  not  wait  to  receive  the  "thank  you"  that  was  their  only 
receipt. 

PASTOR'S    GREAT    AGONY. 

Directly  in  the  rear  of  the  church,  lay  the  pastor  of 
St.  Mark's,  the  Rev.  George  C.  F.  Haas,  suffering  men- 
tally and  physically.  All  day  long  respectful  groups 
stood  in  front  of  the  little  private  residence,  eager  for 
word  from  the  patient's  sick  room.  The  body  of  Mrs. 
Haas  was  delivered  at  the  house  ealy  in  the  day,  but  her 
husband  was  not  in  a  condition  then  to  be  told  that  his 
wife's  body  had  been  found  and  identified  but  that  no 
tidings  had  come  of  his  little  daughter  Margaret. 

It  was  nearly  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  after  his 
wounds  had  been  dressed,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Haas  was 
thought  to  be  in  a  condition  to  learn  the  sad  news  that 
he   was   told    by   his    physician,   by   the  afflicted    man's 


SCENES    uK  OVERWHELMING  GRIEF.  *7 

brother,  the  Rev.  J.  A.  W.  Hass,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Lock, 
assistant  pastor  of  St.  Mark's  Church.  The  patient  re- 
ceived the  news  quietly  and  only  replied: — "It  is  as  I 
feared,  and  only  as  I  was  prepared  to  hear." 

So  many  false  reports  as  to  his  patient's  condition 
had  been  circulated  during  the  day,  and  all  of  an  alarm- 
ing nature,  that  Dr.  Senken  made  this  statement: 

BULLETIN   CONCERNING   DR.   HAAS. 

uDr.  Haas  in  the  beginning  suffered  a  shock.  He 
has  improved  greatly  since  and  is  now  convalescing 
rapidly.  He  is  now  in  full  possession  of  his  faculties, 
and  we  hope  in  a  few  days  to  have  him  again  among  the 
workers.  The  news  of  his  wife's  death  and  the  uncer- 
tainty as  to  his  daughter's  fate  was  broken  to  him  this 
evening  and  he  bore  up  as  a  brave  pastor  should/' 

There  had  come  to  the  house  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Haas 
during  the  afternoon  this  letter  from  Archbishop  Farley: 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Haas: 

Reverend  and  Dear  Sir: — I  beg  to  tender  you 
and  your  afflicted  people  my  most  sincere  sympathy  in 
the  presence  of  the  appalling  calamity  that  has  fallen 
upon  them  and  you  through  the  burning  of  the  "General 
Slocum";  and  I  know  my  feelings  are  fully  shared  by 
the  whole  body  of  the  Catholic  clergy  and  laitv  of  New 
York. 

May  the  Giver  of  all  strength  comfort  you  and  yours 
in  this  their  dreadful  hour  of  sorrow.  Believe  me,  my 
dear  sir,  very  respectfully  yours, 

JOHN  M.  FARLEY, 
Archbishop  of  New  York. 


58  SCENES   OF  OVERWHELMING  GRIEF. 

Great  was  the  band  of  heroes  who  rendered  courage- 
ous service  in  the  work  of  rescue,  suggesting  the  follow- 
ing pertinent  lines  by  our  national  Secretary  of  State  : 

JIM    BLUDSO,   OF  THE  PRAIRIE  BELLE. 

BY  JOHN   HAY. 

Wall,  no !  I  can't  tell  wha'  he  lives, 

Becase  he  don't  live,  you  see  ; 
Leastways  he's  got  out  of  the  habit 

Of  livin'  like  you  and  me. 
Whar'  have  you  been  for  the  last  three  year 

That  you  haven't  heard  folks  tell 
How  Jimmy  Bludso  passed  in  his  checks 

The  night  of  the  Prairie  Belle  ? 
He  weren't  no  saint — them  engineers 

Is  all  pretty  much  alike — 
One  wife  in  Natchez-under-the-Hill, 

Another  one  here  in  Pike. 
A  keerless  man  in  his  talk  was  Jim, 

And  an  awkward  hand  in  a  row, 
But  he  never  funked,  and  he  never  lied — 

I  reckon  he  never  knowed  how. 
And  this  was  all  the  religion  he  had, 

To  treat  his  engine  well, 
Never  be  passed  on  the  river, 

To  mind  the  pilot's  bell ; 
And  if  ever  the  Prairie  Belle  took  fire — 

A  thousand  times  he  swore 
He'd  hold  her  nozzle  agin  the  bank 

Till  the  last  soul  got  ashore. 
All  boats  has  their  day  on  the  Mississip, 

And  her  day  come  at  last ; 
The  Movastar  was  a  better  boat, 

But  the  Belle;  she  wouldn't  be  passed  ; 


SCENES   OF  OVERWHELMING  GRIEF.  59 

And  so  she  come  tarin'  along  that  night — 

The  oldest  craft  on  the  line — 
With  a  nigger  squat  on  her  safety  valve, 

And  her  furnace  crammed,  rosin  and  pine. 
The  fire  burst  out  as  she  cleared  the  bar, 

And  burnt  a  hole  in  the  night  ; 
And,  quick  as  a  flash,  she  turned  and  made 

For  that  wilier  bank  on  the  right. 
There  was  runnin'  and  cursin',  but  Jim  yelled  out 

Over  all  the  infernal  roar  : — 
"I'll  hold  her  nozzle  agin  the  bank 

Till  the  last  galoot's  ashore." 
Through  the  hot,  black  breath  of  the  burnin'   boat 

Jim  Bludso's  voice  was  heard, 
And  they  all  had  trust  in  his  cussedness, 

And  knowed  he  would  keep  his  word  ; 
And,  sure's  you're  born,  they  all  got  off 

Afore  the  smokestacks  fell — 
And  Bludso's  ghost  went  up  alone 

In  the  smoke  of  the  Prairie  Belle. 
He  weren't  no  saint — but  at  judgment 

I'd  run  my  chance  with  Jim 
'Longside  of  some  pious  gentlemen 

That  wouldn't  shook  hands  with  him. 
He  seen  his  duty,  a  dead  sure  thing — 

And  went  for  it  thar  and  then  ; 
And  Christ  ain't  a-going  to  be  too  hard 

On  a  man  that  died  for  men. 


CHAPTER    IV. 
SYMPATHY  FROM  ALL  QUARTERS. 

MAYOR  McCLELLAN,  as  soon  as  lie  arrived  at  the 
City  Hall  next  morning  after  the  tragedy,  set  the 
official  machinery  of  the  municipality  in  motion  to  aid  the 
afflicted  survivors  and  relatives  of  those  who  perished 
to  recover  and  bury  the  bodies  of  their  dead.  His  first  act 
was  to  confer  with  Commissioners  McAdoo,  Tully  and 
Darlington,  of  the  Police,  Charities  and  Health  Depart- 
ments,  and  to  instruct  that  no  expense  be  spared  in  giving 
assistance  wherever  necessary. 

He  directed  Commissioner  Darlington  to  arrange 
without  delay  for  the  burial  in  the  Luthern  Cemetery  on 
Long  Island  of  those  bodies  which  were  burned  beyond 
hope  of  recognition.  He  explained  to  Commissioner  Mc- 
Adoo that  the  chief  necessity  for  the  present  was  to  re- 
lieve the  suffering,  and  that  investigation  as  to  the  cause 
of  the  disaster  would  come  later.  Then  the  Mayor  issued 
a  proclamation  appointing  a  committee  of  twelve  well- 
known  men  to  act  as  a  relief  committee,  and  announcing 
that  contributions  to  aid  the  survivors  might  be  forwarded 
to  him  at  the  City  Hall. 

Mayor  McClellan  said  he  had  no  idea  as  to  the 
amount  of  money  the  committee  would  require  to  assist 
those  who  are  suffering. 

"That  will  be  a  matter  for  the  committee  to  deter-' 
mine,"  he  continued.  "I  hope  to  hear  from  the  men 
whom  I  named  on  this  committee  by  to-morrow,  so  that  I 
can  arrange  for  the  first  meeting.  I  shall  probably  call 
the  committee  together  myself  and  then  allow  it  to  take 
whatever  course  it  deems  best," 

§0 


SYMPATHY  ["ROM  ALL  QUARTERS  Gl 

As  socm  as  he  liad  completed  his  arrangements  for 
the  relief  work,  the  Mayor  dictated  a  letter  to  the  Rev. 
George  C.  F.  Haas,  the  pastor  of  St.  Mark's  Church,  ex- 
pressing his  own  sympathy  and  the  condolences  of  the 
city  at  large  as  its  official  representative,  as  follows  : 

"On  behalf  of  the  people  of  our  city  and  myself  I 
express  to  you  and  to  your  stricken  flock  the  sentiments 
of  sorrow  which  pervade  the  community  at  the  awful 
calamity  which  has  come  upon  you. 

"In  the  hope  that  we  may  lessen,  in  some  degree, 
the  anguish  which  you  and  your  people  suffer,  I  have 
appealed  to  the  generosity  of  our  fellow  citizens  to  render 
financial  aid  to  those  who  may  need  it  to  care  for  their 
sick  and  to  decently  bury  their  dead. 

"  We  all  hope  that  courage  may  be  given  to  you  to 
bear  up  under  your  great  affliction." 

The  prompt  message  from  President  Roosevelt  is 
contained  in  the  preceding  chapter. 

MESSAGES  OF  SYMPATHY   FROM   ABROAD. 

Even  before  the  Mayor  reached  the  City  Hall  tele- 
grams from  mayors  of  man 3^  of  the  principal  cities  of 
the  United  States  expressing  sympathy  and  offering 
assistance  had  arrived.  Messages  were  received  also 
from  cities  abroad  and  from  -private  individuals  and 
associations  in  various  parts  of  the  world.  The  first  to 
be  received  was  a  message  from  Carter  Harrison,  Mayor 
of  Chicago ;  the  next  was  a  cablegram  from  London, 
from  Sir  Thomas  Lipton,  who  begged  to  be  allowed  to 
contribute  $1,000  to  a  relief  fund.  The  Mayor  cabled 
immediately  in  reply,  thanking  Sir  Thomas  for  his  offer 
and  assuring  him  that  the  contributions  of  the  citizens 
would  be  ample  to  meet  the  necessities  of  the  situation, 


b2  SYMPATHY  FROM  ALL  QUARTERS. 

Other  messages  were  received  from  Bailie  Sorley, 
acting  Chief  Magistrate  of  the  Corporation  of  Glasgow  ; 
Mayor  Weaver,  of  Philadelphia;  Mayor  Holtzman,  of 
Indianapolis  ;  the  Polish  National  Alliance,  of  Chicago ; 
Bishops  Derrick  and  Arnett,  of  the  African  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  the  School  of  Engineers,  of 
Mexico. 

At  the  suggestion  of  the  Mayor  Charles  V.  Fornes, 
President  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  called  a  special 
meeting  of  the  Board  for  the  purpose  of  taking  action  to 
lessen  the  suffering  among  the  survivors  and  the  rela- 
tives of  those  who  lost  their  lives. 

At  noon  the  Mayor  boarded  the  tug  "  Manhattan," 
of  the  Department  of  Docks  and  Ferries,  at  the  foot  of 
Fulton  Street,  East  River,  and  made  a  personal  investi- 
gation of  the  scene  of  the  disaster. 

PRESIDENT  LOUBET'S   MESSAGE. 

President  Loubet,  of  France,  sent  the  following 
message  to  President  Roosevelt  : 

Profound!}'  moved  by  the  awful  catastrophe  of  the 
"  General  Slocuin,"  I  have  it  at  heart  to  address  to  your 
Excellency  my  sincere  condolences,  and  to  send  to  the 
families  of  the  victims  the  expression  of  my  sorrowful 
sympathy.  EmilE  LoubET. 

President  Roosevelt  replied  as  follows  : 
I  profoundly  appreciate  the  friendship  and  sympathy 
which  prompted  your  Excellency's  telegram  of  con- 
dolence, and  I  beg  you  to  accept  in  behalf  of  the  afflicted 
families  and  the  people  of  the  United  States  my  sincere 
thanks.  Theodore  Roosevelt. 

The  following  telegram  was  sent  by  Mayor  Harri- 
son to  Mayor  McClellan: 


SYMPATHY    FROM   ALL  QUARTI  OS 

Chicago  sends  to  New  York  her  heartfelt  and 
keenest  sympathy  on  account  of  the  terrible  calamity 
which  has  just  occurred.  Our  own  recent  eatastrophe 
makes  US  mournfully  appreciative  of  the  sorrow  into 
which  your  city  has  been  plunged.  Please  command  us 
if  we  may  be  of  any  assistance  whatever. 

Carter  Harrison. 

Telegrams  and  letters  of  sympathy  to  the  congrega- 
tion of  the  church  are  pouring  in  fast.  The  following 
message  came  from  the 'British  Sunday  School  Union, 
London  : 

The  Sunday  School  Union,  representing  two  and  a 
half  million  workers  and  scholars  in  Great  Britain  and 
Colonies,  assures  church  and  relatives  of  their  profound 
sympathy  at  the  time  of  this  appalling  disaster.  Heart- 
felt prayers  that  the  Father  may  vouchsafe  comfort  and 
sustaining  grace. 

Also  the  following  message  from  the  Sunday  School 
Chronicle  : 

British  Sunday  school  workers  deeply  grieved  at  sad 
calamity.     Heartfelt  sympathy. 

Mayor  Weaver  sent  the  following  message  to  Mayor 
McClellan,  of  New  York,  yesterday  : 

Philadelphia  is  horrified  by  the  news  of  the  fearful 
accident  to  the  school  children  on  the  "  General  Slocum." 
Our  most  sincere  sympathy  is  extended  to  the  parents 
and  friends,  and  we  are  most  anxious  to  do  something  to 
help  you  in  this  great  affliction.  Will  you  let  me  know 
if  there  is  anything  we  can  do  ? 

There  seemed  to  be  no  end  to  the  stories  of  personal 
experience  on  board  the  "  Slocum "  and  in  the  river. 
Every  one  was  a  tale  of  woe. 

Andrew  Ottinger,  a  clerk  in  the  Street  Cleaning 
Department,   stood  at  his   door  almost  bewildered.     Of 


64  SYMPATHY  FROM  ALL  QUARTERS. 

six  of  his  family  but  one  returned,  Ottinger's  son  Willie, 
thirteen  years  old,  scarred  by  flames.  Willie  told  his 
father  that  when  he  last  saw  his  mother  she  was  fastening- 
life  preservers  on  Andrew  and  Arthur.  She  wished  to 
put  one  on  Willie,  but  he  said,  "Never  mind  me,  I  can 
swim."  Then  someone,  the  boy  believes  it  was  his 
mother,  pushed  him  overboard,  and  later  he  was  picked 
up  by  a  tugboat. 

A  CHILD'S  PATHETIC    RHYME. 

One  of  the  visitors  to  St.  Mary's  Church  gave  his 
name  as  N.  W.  Dillon.  The  visitor  said  he  was  a  brother 
of  Mrs.  Katherine  Diamond,  whose  children,  May,  eight, 
and  Frank,  four  years  old,  were  not  to  be  found.  Mr. 
Dillon  was  nearly  prostrated  as  he  called  for  "  May, 
May,"  and  in  one  hand  he  carried  a  piece  of  paper  on 
which  was  written  in  a  child's  handwriting  : 

She  meets  me  on  the  corner 

At  the  closing  of  the  day, 
And  tells  me  that  she  loves  me, 

My  golden  haired  May. 

The  grief  stricken  man  read  the  verse  over  and  over, 
sobbing  as  he  showed  it  to  others. 

Young  Christian  Schoett,  the  organist  of  St.  Mark's 
Church  and  one  of  its  Sunday  school  teachers,  was  identi- 
fied among  the  dead  on  the  pier.  Two  women  a  moment 
later  became  hysterical  over  the  body  of  a  young  girl  in 
the  third  coffin  from  that  of  the  young  man.  She  was 
his  sweetheart.  Young  Schoett  was  nineteen  years  old. 
He  had  gone  on  the  excursion  with  his  mother,  Josephine, 
his  sisters,  Katie,  ten  years  old,  and  Helen,  five,  and  his 
cousin,  Henry  Seidewand.     All  of  them  lost  their  lives. 


SYMPATHY   FROM   ALL  QUARTERS.  ^ 

Mrs.  Schoett  was  identified  by  her  son-in-law,  Edward 
Yost.  He  said  that  the  father  of  the  family,  Christian, 
was  its  only  survivor.  Two  friends  were  guarding  him 
constantly  for  fear  that  he  would  end  his  life  in  his  grief. 
Young  Schoett,  the  church  organist,  was  a  gifted  musi- 
cian. His  affianced  bride  was  his  Sunday  school  and 
music  pupil.  They  had  not  yet  made  public  their 
engagement,  but  the  fact  was  known  to  their  intimate 
friends. 

Mrs.  Catherine  Diamond  fell  on  her  knees  before  a 
box  in  which  lay  the  body  of  a  white  haired  woman  about 
sixty  years  old.  Brokenly  she  made  it  known  that  the 
dead  woman  was  her  mother,  Mrs.  Catherine  Birming- 
ham.    Leaning  over  the  box,  she  cried  : 

A  HYSTERICAL  WOMAN. 

uYou  didn't  want  to  go,  did  you,  mother?  But  I 
insisted  on  it.  I'm  responsible  for  this.  I  killed  you. 
I  thought  you'd  have  a  fine  day's  outing.  All  may  be 
right?' 

Hysterical  the  woman  rose  and  looked  about  her. 
She  walked  to  the  first  entrance  to  the  pier  on  the  south 
side,  where  she  cried:  "Mother,  I'm  coming,"  and 
started  to  plunge  in  the  river.  One  of  the  Bellevue 
nurses,  who  was  standing  there,  caught  the  woman  in 
time.  She  struggled  and  fell  to  the  floor  and  was  taken 
to  Bellevue,  where  she  was  quieted. 

Out  of  one  party  of  eleven  merrymakers  aboard  the 
"Slocum,"  all  members  of  one  family,  only  two  were 
saved.  One  was  Mrs.  Henry  Kassebaum,  the  other  being 
her  daughter,  Annette.  Mr.  Kessebaum,  who  visited  the 
pier  in  an  effort  to  identify  some  of  the  bodies,  said  of  his 
wife's  experiences  on  the  steamer: 

N.Y.  5 


66  SYMPATHY   FROM  ALL  QUARTERS. 

"  My  wife  was  on  the  upper  deck,  a  member  of  a 
party  of  eleven,  all  of  our  family.  Henry  C.  Schnude, 
one  of  my  sons-in-law,  was  head  deacon  of  St.  Mark's 
Church.  He  was  paying  teller  for  a  banking  house  in 
Broadway.  He  was  there  with  his  wife  and  their  two 
children,  Grace,  four  and  one-half  years  old,  and  Mildred, 
who  was  a  year  and  a  half  old.  Mr.  Schnude's  father  and 
mother  were  also  with  them.  My  other  daughter,  Mrs. 
Frieda  Toniport,  had  with  her  her  two  children,  Francis, 
four,  and  Charlotte,  two  years  old. 

"They  were  all  sitting  together,  listening  to  the 
band  in  the  stern  of  the  upper  deck,  my  wife  says,  when 
she  heard  some  children  scream.  She  thought  at  first 
that  a  child  had  fallen  overboard.  Then  they  all  saw 
flames  near  the  centre  of  the  boat. 

THEY  STUCK  TOGETHER. 

"  'Stick  together  !  All  of  us  stick  together! '  cried 
my  wife,  but  the  crowd  rushed  toward  them  and  pushed 
half  the  members  of  the  band  overboard.  Among  those 
she  saw  fall  was  George  Maurer,  the  band  leader. 

uAnd  then  she  found  herself  separated  from  the 
rest,  while  the  fire  was  creeping  along  the  deck  toward 
her.  She  told  me  she  saw  the  pastor,  Mr,  Haas,  his  wife 
and  daughter,  leap  overboard,  and  she  thought  that  he 
was  a  man  who  would  know  when  the  time  had  come  to 
jump. 

"  So  my  wife  plunged  into  the  water.  She  sank 
twice,  but  when  she  came  to  the  surface  she  hung  on  to 
the  paddle  box  of  the  steamer.  She  clung  there  as  long 
•as  she  could  and  then  a  man  in  a  sail  boat,  came  up  and 
rescued  her. 

"  He  took  her  ashore,  where  a  woman  put  her  in  a 


SYMPATHY  FROM   ALL  QUARTERS.  07 

carriage  and  took  her  to  her  home,  in  138th  street.  This 
stranger  gave  her  dry  clothing  and  sent  her  home.  She 
didn't  get  there  until  half-past  ten  o'clock  at  night.  I  can 
tell  you,  that  was  a  happy  moment  when  I  saw  her  cuter. 
I  had  given  her  up  for  lost. 

"  Our  daughter  Annette,  when  she  was  separate! 
from  the  party,  ran  to  the  hurricane  deck  and  jumped  on 
the  deck  of  the  tug  boat  Wade,  which  came  up  just  as  the 
fire  was  closing  around  her.  She  broke  her  leg  in  the 
jump  aud  was  taken  to  Harlem  Hospital." 

FOUND    MOTHER    AND    TWIN    BROTHERS. 

Mrs.  Katherine  Ottinger,  and  four  children,  two  sets 
of  twins,  Charley  and  Emma  and  Arthur  and  Andrew, 
were  aboard  the  "Slocum." 

Her  husband,  accompanied  by  his  two  remaining 
daughters,  Lillian  and  Catherine,  respectively  eighteen 
and  nineteen  years  old,  visited  the  pier,  where  they  came 
across  a  box  in  which  lay  a  woman  with  two  little  boys 
beside  her. 

The  younger  girl  burst  into  tears  as  she  recognized 
her  mother  and  her  twin  brothers,  Arthur  and  Andrew. 

Her  father  went  further  down  the  line,  where  he 
came  across  the  body  of  an  old  man  whose  arms  clasped 
a  little  girl  and  a  little  boy.  They  were  Charley  and 
Emma. 

Henry  Heintz,  12  years  old,  who  lost  his  mother, 
his  aunt  and  his  sister,  was  dumb  because  of  the  ordeal. 
He  and  his  brother  George  were  saved.  They  stood  on 
the  middle  deck,  until  it  became  too  hot,  when  they 
jumped  into  the  water.  Henry  held  on  to  the  paddle 
wheel  and  was  rescued  by  men  in  a  tug.  When  he  re- 
covered from  the  first  great   shock    he   could  not  speak. 


68  SYMPATHY  FROM  ALL  QUARTERS. 

George  declared  his  mother's  and  aunt's  bodies  were 
i obbed  of  diamonds  and  jewelry.  He  said  bis  mother 
had  a  valuable  brooch  and  his  aunt  two  diamond  rings, 
all  of  which  were  missing  when  the  bodies  were  found. 

Fully  90  per  cent,  of  the  victims  of  the  disaster  were 
insured  in  the  three  leading  insurance  companies  han- 
dling what  is  called  industrial  insurance. 

Unbroken  lines  of  men  and  women  streamed 
through  East  Twenty-sixth  street  all  day  on  their  way  to 
the  Morgue.  They  filed  past  the  rows  of  bodies  laid  out  011 
the  long,  covered  pier  of  the  Department  of  Charities 
and  endeavored  to  identify  their  missing  loved  ones. 

IMMENSE    CROWD    AT    THE    PIER. 

More  than  twenty  thousand  persons  visited  the  pier. 
The  police  complained  that  at  least  two-thirds  of  these 
were  morbid  curiosity  seekers,  but  they  shrugged  their 
shoulders  and  said  they  were  powerless  to  exclude  them. 
It  was  on  the  whole  an  orderly  crowd,  and  the  work  of 
identification  progressed  rapidly  during  the  afternoon,  so 
tliat  by  six  o'clock  the  number  of  those  unidentified  had 
been  greatly  reduced. 

Twice,  however,  the  throngs  became  unmanageable 
when  the  police  tried  to  restrain  them  from  invading  the 
pier  while  bodies  were  being  unloaded  from  steamers. 
Police  were  thrown  from  their  feet  and  women  were 
trampled  underfoot.    No  one  was  seriously  injured. 

Pathetic  and  tragic  scenes  were  repeated  time  and 
time  again  as  the  identifiers  recognized  the  faces  of 
friends  and  relatives.  Mothers  cried  out  and  fainted  beside 
the  boxes  containing  bodies  of  their  husbands  and  babies, 
and  one  despairing  woman  tried  to  throw  herself  into  the 
East  River,  but  was  prevented  by  a  Bellevue  nurse, 


SYMPATHY  FROM   ALL  QUARTERS.  09 

One  feature  of  the  scene  was  the  invasion  of  the 
pier  by  hundreds  of  young  and  fashionably  dressed 
women.  Many  were  accompanied  by  escorts,  others 
went  unattended,  but  nearly  all  were  unmistakeably  idle 
sensation  seekers. 

Two  of  these  women  drove  over  in  an  automobile. 
The  police  at  First  avenue  at  first  refused  them  permis- 
sion to  pass.  But  the  women  begged  actually  with  tears 
in  their  eyes  to  be  allowed  to  see  whether  any  of  their 
friends  were  among  the  dead.  They  smiled  later  when 
they  had  gained  their  point,  and  walked  over  to  the  pier. 
Several  other  women  came  in  carriages,  but  the  majority 
sauntered  over  from  the  Twenty-third  street  shopping 
district. 

CURIOUS  WOMEN    THERE. 

Police  Captain  Shire,  of  the  East  Thirty-fifth  street 
station,  groaned  over  the  continuous  influx  of  curious 
women  shoppers. 

'What  can  we  do?"  he  exclaimed.  "We  can't 
order  them  away.  We  can't  exclude  them  from  the  legiti- 
mate inquirers.     It's  woman's  way,  I  guess/' 

Through  the  excellent  management  of  the  police 
and  the  authorities  of  Bellevue  and  the  Charities  Depart- 
ment, the  crowds  were  kept  moving  and  congestion  was 
prevented.  Charities  Commissioner  Tully  asked  Michael 
J.  Richard,  assistant  superintendent  of  Bellevue,  to  take 
charge  of  the  pier  and  the  landing  and  disposition  of 
the  bodies  as  they  arrived.  Mr.  Richard  was  assisted  by 
registrars  and  clerks  from  the  hospital. 

"One  of  our  serious  problems,"  said  Mr.  Richard, 
"was  that  of  providing  a  sufficient  number  of  coffins 
overnight  to  hold  the   bodies.     The  supply  on  hand  at 


70  SYMPATHY  FROM  ALL  QUARTERS. 

the  Morgue  and  the  Charities  Department  was  far  below 
our  needs,  so  the  stocks  of  coffin  manufacturers  in  the 
city  were  practically  bought  out." 

Besides  the  pine  boxes  of  the  Morgue  were  others 
of  stained  wood,  cloth  covered  or  zinc  lined,  indicative 
of  how  the  emergency  had  been  met. 

Inspector  McLaughlin  and  Captain  Shire  had  charge 
of  the  police  arrangements.  A  line  of  policemen  kept 
back  the  hosts  of  morbid  spectators  at  First  avenue. 
Others  guarded  the  doors  of  the  Morgue  and  the  pier. 
At  least  eighty  policemen  were  on  hand  during  the 
earlier  part  of  the  day.  The  crowds  became  larger  and  more 
demonstrative  late  in  the  afternoon. 

WHOLE   FAMILIES  WIPED  OUT. 

According  to  Mr.  Richard,  one  reason  why  the  prog- 
ress of  the  work  of  identification  was  so  slow  on  Wed- 
nesday night  and  early  next  morning,  was  that  entire 
families  had  been  wiped  out  and  nobody  was  left  to 
identify  them.  Friends  and  relatives  appeared  on  the 
scene  later,  made  known  the  identity  of  the  dead,  and 
scores  of  undertakers'  wagons  bore  the  bodies  away. 

Bodies  in  a  line  four  deep  covered  the  floor  of  the 
pier.  Ten  policemen  with  pencils  and  writing  pads 
took  down  the  names  of  the  identified  and  identifiers  and 
the  records  were  kept  by  Coroner  s  clerks  and  also  at 
a  temporary  office  improvised  in  the  old  waiting  room  on 
the  pier.  There  Coroner  Scholeer  issued  permits  for  the 
removal  of  bodies. 

Mayor  McClellan,  accompanied  by  Assistant  Cor- 
poration Counsel  Breckenridge,  visited  the  pier  shortly 
after  noon.  Removing  his  hat,  the  Mayor  walked  the 
length  of  the  pier  between  the  lines  of  bodies. 


SYMPATHY  FROM   ALL  QUARTERS.  71 

A  woman,  who  had  identified  the  body  of  a  child, 
fell  in  a  faint  nearly  at  his  feet,  and  further  on  four  men, 
carrying  a  coffin,  scraped  his  shoulder  with  their  burden. 
Before  leaving  the  Mayor  inspected  all  the  arrangements 
made  for  the  disposition  of  the  bodies. 

Four  bodies  arrived  at  the  pier  on  the  Charties 
Department  steamer  "  Fidelity "  during  the  morning. 
The  "  Massasoit,"  with  thirty-nine  more  dead,  readied 
the  pier  shortly  before  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 
It  was  then  that  the  visitors  were  all  ordered  off  by  the 
police,  so  that  the  work  of  unloading  bodies  could  pro- 
ceed rapidly. 

MOB   BROKE  THROUGH   LINES. 

There  was  along  wait,  during  which  the  grief-stricken 
men  and  women  became  uncontrollable.  A  mob,  held  up 
at  the  First  avenue  corner,  broke  through  the  lines  and 
was  subdued  with  difficulty.  A  second  one,  impatient  at 
being  held  up  at  the  pier  doors,  pushed  them  aside  and 
swept  the  police  guards  down  the  narrow  passageway  at 
the  entrance. 

A  panic  seemed  impending  for  a  moment.  Two  aged 
women  were  thrown  and  trampled  upon  and  their  screams 
caused  other  women  to  become  hysterical.  The  policemen 
promptly  controlled  the  situation. 

After  the  bodies  had  been  unloaded  from  the  "  Mas- 
sasoit "  deck  hands  trundled  out  two  big  wicker  go- 
carts  filled  to  the  brim  with  children's  straw  hats,  decked 
with  red,  blue  and  vari-colored  ribbons. 

They  followed  with  two  barrels  filled  with  sunshades 
and  umbrellas  and  three  or  four  barrels  of  clothing.  At 
the  last  came  two  barrels  filled  with  women's  handbags, 


72  SYMPATHY  FROM  ALL  ^U^RTERS. 

purses  and  pocketbooks,  filled  with  money  and  valuables. 
These  were  taken  in  charge  by  the  police. 

Many  offers  of  assistance  in  burying  the  unidentified 
dead  were  made  to  Commissioner  of  Charities  Tully. 
One  undertaker  offered  to  bury  all  the  bodies  remaining 
unidentified.  Two  well-dressed  women,  who  said  they 
were  Mrs.  Chandler  and  Miss  Mason,  called  on  Commis- 
sioner Tully  to  offer  to  pay  for  all  the  mourning,  need} 
persons  who  had  lost  relatives  in  the  accident,  wanted. 
They  also  offered  to  furnish  clothing,  food  and  other  pro- 
visions for  those  needing  them,  and  they  said  they  would 
like  to  look  after  destitute  families  in  instances  in  which 
the  breadwinner  of  such  family  had  met  death  in  the  dis- 
aster. 

FEW   ENTERED  AT  A  TIME. 

The  crowd  around  the  Morgue  and  the  Department 
of  Charities  pier  in  East  Twenty-sixth  street  in  the  even- 
ing was  much  greater.  By  8  o'clock  the  line  of  people 
waiting  to  be  allowed  to  enter  and  look  upon  the  rows  of 
bodies  ranged  within  extended  for  many  blocks.  About 
200  were  allowed  to  enter  at  a  time,  and  as  they  thinned 
out,  some  with  their  fears  turned  to  terrible  certainty  as 
they  had  come  face  to  face  with  the  cold  forms  of  their 
loved  ones,  and  others,  roused  to  faint  hopes  by  their 
failure  to  find  what  they  dreaded,  they  were  gently  shown 
out  into  the  street  and  another  party  admitted  to  undergo 
the  heartrending  ordeal. 

At  one  time  at  least  1500  people  were  in  the  long  line 
awaiting  admittance,  besides  the  hundreds  of  morbidly 
curious  persons  who  lined  the  adjacent  streets. 

Despite  the  many  curious  ones,  the  crowd  was  rever- 
ent.    Often,    as  the    groups  standing   in   Twenty-sixth 


SYMPATHY  FROM   ALL  QUARTERS.  73 

street  stood  and  talked  in  low  tones  of  the  catastrophe, 
from  the  interior  of  the  pier  shed  would  come  a  despair- 
ing cry,  which  told  that  another  one  in  the  silent  rows  of 
bodies  had  been  identified. 

"Another  one,"  the  crowd  would  murmur,  and  there 
would  be  speculations  among  the  subdued  groups  as  to 
whether  it  was  father  or  mother  or  daughter  or  son. 

The  body  of  a  girl  of  8  years,  which  was  declared  by 
neighbors  to  be  that  of  the  little  daughter  of  Henry 
Heintz,  of  Front  street,  was  washed  up  against  the  side 
of  a  pier  at  the  foot  of  Clinton  street,  in  the  East  river, 
hardly  a  block  away  from  the  girl's  home.  The  tide  by 
a  strange  vagary  had  carried  the  little  body  from  the 
scene  of  the  calamity  of  North  Brother  Island  down 
through  the  narrow  channels  of  the  river  to  this  point  so 
near  her  home.  The  girl's  mother,  Mrs.  Annie  Heintz, 
was  among  the  dead. 

KISSED  THE   COLD  LIPS. 

Jacob  Michael  identified  the' body  of  his  daughter 
Carrie,  12  years  old,  late  in  the  afternoon.  He  was  slowly 
walking  along  the  line  of  coffins,  when  he  suddenly 
halted,  and  with  a  moan,  fell  to  his  knees  in  several 
inches  of  water,  and  reaching  into  a  coffin,  raised  the 
head  of  a  child  and  beo-an  to  kiss  the  cold  lips 
fervently. 

Earlier  in  the  day  the  man  had  been  to  the  Morgue 
and  identified  the  charred  body  of  his  married  daughter, 
Mrs.  Catherine  Cohrs,  and  that  of  his  year-old  grandson. 
The  bodies  of  his  daughter  and  grandson  had  been  burned 
almost  beyond  recognition,  but  Michael  did  not  seem  to 
be  as  much  affected  by  that  awful  sight  as  he  was  when 
he  saw  little  Carrie's  body  in  the  coffin.     He   had  to  be 


74  SYMPATHY  FROM  ALL  QUARTERS. 

dragged  from  the  coffin  by  the  police  and  was   forced  to 
leave  the  pier. 

The  body  of  Lena  Ackernian,  16  months  old,  was 
identified  by  her  father.  Mr.  Ackerman  was  walking  ont 
on  the  pier,  when  he  saw  some  photographers  slant  a 
coffin  against  the  side  of  the  pier  and  attempt  to  take  a 
picture  of  two  bodies  therein.  He  recognized  the  features 
of  his  baby  and,  rushing  forward,  tore  the  body  from  the 
coffin.  It  was  some  time  before  the  police  could  persuade 
him  to  give  it  up. 

HOSE   BROKE   IN   MANY  PLACES. 

« 

Assistant  District  Attorney  Garvin  examined  Ed- 
ward Flanagan,  first  mate  of  the  "  General  Slocum." 
Flanagan  declared  that  while  he  was  playing  water  on 
the  fire  his  hose  broke  in  many  places,  making  it  useless. 
He  then  made  his  way  to  the  upper  deck,  and  tried  to 
restore  order  among  the  women  and  children,  who  were 
jumping  overboard.  The  mate  remained  at  this  post,  he 
declared,  until  the  boat  grounded.  Then  his  clothes  were 
blazing,  so  that  he  jumped  into  the  water  to  extinguish 
the  flames.  He  spent  two  hours  in  the  work  of  rescue, 
until  he  collapsed,  and  was  taken  to  the  hospital. 

Mr.  Garvin  received  word  that  Chief  Engineer 
George  Conklin,  of  the  "  General  Slocum,"  was  alive, 
and  immediately  took  steps  to  find  him. 

Mate  Flanagan  told  a  straightforward  story  of  the 
disaster  to  Mr.  Garvin.  He  was  standing  on  the  main 
deck,  he  said,  talking  to  a  deck  hand  when  he  was 
told  of  the  fire.  He  hurried  to  Engineer  Conklin  with 
the  news,  and  then  went  to  Captain  Van  Schaick.  He 
ordered  full  speed  ahead  and  made  for  North  Brother 
Island,  blowing  his  whistle  for  assistance.  Flanagan  ran 


SYMPATHY  FROM  ALL  QUARTERS.  75 

back  to  the  scene  of  the  fire  and  attempted  to  extinguish 
the  flames,  which  in  the  meantime  had  reached  serious 
proportions. 

Failing  to  accomplish  anything  with  the  hose,  the 
mate  rushed  to  the  upper  deck  and  tried  to  quiet  the 
panic-stricken  women  and  children  who  were  leaping 
overboard.  He  stayed  on  the  upper  deck  until  the  boat 
went  aground.  When  he  leaped  to  save  himself  he  found 
two  women  and  a  baby  in  the  water,  and  they  cried  to 
him  for  help.  He  could  not  keep  the  three  afloat,  and 
they  were  lost. 

After  the  women  and  baby  disappeared,  Flanagan 
said  he  next  saw  Michael  Graham,  the  steward,  who  was 
trying  to  save  the  ship's  money.  It  was  mostly  in  silver, 
amounting  to  more  than  $1000,  and  was  in  a  bag.  Graham 
found  the  weight  pulling  him  under  and  let  go  of  it. 

INSPECTORS  TRY  TO   ESCAPE. 

In  a  statement  issued  over  the  signatures  of  Captain 
R.  A.  Sargent  and  Christopher  Vert,  United  States 
Inspectors  of  Steam  Vessels  at  the  port  of  Philadelphia, 
the  New  York  inspectors  were  exonerated  from  all  blame 
in  connection  with  the  accident  to  the  "  General  Slocum." 
They  said  : 

"From  accounts  of  the  accident,  we  cannot  see  that  it 
can  in  any  way  be  attributed  to  the  steam  vessels  inspect- 
ors in  New  York,  this  particular  vessel  having  been 
inspected  last  May.  What  we  have  read  in  regard  to  the 
life  preservers  being  so  badly  decayed  and  of  such  faulty 
construction  that  they  are  useless,  we  cannot  look  upon 
as  correct,  and  think  that  these  preservers  must  have  been 
damaged  by  fire,  as  it  is  the  custom  of  inspectors  at  this 
port,  and  at  New  York  also,  we  believe,  to  carefully  exam- 


76  SYMPATHY  FROM  ALL  QUARTERS. 

ine  all  life  preservers  at  each  annual  inspection  and  to  see 
that  they  are  of  approved  t}^pe  and  are  located  in  accessi- 
ble places.  This  vessel  was,  no  doubt,  equipped  on  either 
side  of  each  deck  carrying  passengers,  with  hoses  of  such 
length  as  to  reach  all  parts  of  the  deck  connected  to  the 
steam  fire  pump  main  ;  also  with  two  efficient  hand  fire 
pumps  with  hose  attachments,  also  leading  to  different 
parts  of  the  deck.  It  is  evident  from  accounts  that  not 
only  the  captain,  mates,  pilots,  and  engineers,  but  also 
the  unlicensed  members  of  the  crew,  heroically  remained 
at  their  post  and  did  all  in  their  power  to  avert  this  fear- 
ful catastrophe." 

Secretary  Cortelyou  ordered  a  rigid  investigation  of 
the  "  General  Slocum  "  disaster,  under  the  direction  of 
the  Steamboat  Inspection  Service. 

CORTELYOU'S  CIRCULAR  LETTER. 

Realizing  the  importance  of  having  exercised  the 
greatest  care  in  the  management  of  steamboats,  especially 
excursion  boats,  Secretary  Cortelyou,  on  May  23,  of  this 
year,  issued  a  circular  letter  to  the  inspectors  of  steam 
vessels,  warning  them  to  guard  against  just  such  a  dis- 
aster as  that  which  occurred  at  New  York. 

Supervising  Inspector  General  Uhler  received  from 
Robert  S.  Rodie,  Inspector  of  the  Second  District,  at  New 
York,  a  preliminary  report  of  the  accident.  Inspector 
Rodie,  as  soon  as  he  learned  of  the  fire,  went  to  the  scene 
in  the  wrecking  boat  "  Chapman."  In  his  report  to  Gen- 
eral Uhler  he  says  : 

"While  viewing  the  wreck  I  noticed  some  clothes 
near  the  forward  side  of  the  paddle  box  and  called  Cap- 
tain Turner's  attention  to  it.  It  proved  to  be  the  body  of 
a  woman,  and  on  close  inspection  it  was  found  that  three 


SYMPATHY  FROM  ALL  QUARTERS.  77 

other  bodies  were   inside  the   paddle  box,  all   of  which 
proved  to  be  women. 

"At  the  time  we  first  went  alongside  the  wreck  there 
was  no  one  in  the  immediate  vicinity  except  a  small  boat 
with  a  man  in  it  some  distance  off.  A  short  time  after 
we  noticed  that  a  police  boat  was  approaching  the  wreck. 
We  turned  over  to  them  the  work  of  taking  the  bodies 
out,  which  they  did-  We  provided  them  with  axes,  and 
they  cut  away  part  of  the  open  woodwork  in  order  to  re- 
move bodies." 

PROCLAMATION   BY  THE   MAYOR. 

Mayor  McClellan  issued  this  proclamation : 

To  the  Citizens  of  New  York  : 

The  appalling  disaster,  by  which  more  than  500 
men,  women  and  children  lost  their  lives  by  fire  and 
drowning,  has  shocked  and  horrified  our  city.  Knowing 
the  keen  sympathy  of  the  people  of  the  city  of  New  York 
with  their  stricken  fellows,  I  have  appointed  a  committee 
of  citizens  to  receive  contributions  to  a  fund  to  provide 
for  the  fit  and  proper  burial  of  the  dead,  and  for  such 
other  relief  as  may  be  necessary. 

The  following  gentlemen  have  been  asked  to  serve 
on  the  committee  :  Morris  K.  Jesup,  Jacob  SchifT,  Her- 
man Ridder,  Charles  A.  Dickey,  Robert  A.  Van  Court- 
landt,  Erskine  Hewitt,  Joseph  C.  Hendrix,  Thonias* 
Mulry,  George  Ehret,  John  Fox,  John  Weimacht  and 
H.  B.  Scharman. 

Until  the  committee  has  had  opportunity  to  organize, 
I  shall  be  glad  to  receive  contributions  at  the  Mayor's 
Office. 

As  a  sign  of  mourning,  I  have  ordered  the  flags  of 
the  City  Hall  to  be  put  at  half-mast. 


78  SYMPATHY  FROM  ALL  QUARTERS. 

That  the  fire  hose  on  the  "  General  Slocnm  "  was  so 
rotten  that  it  burst  in  several  places  as  soon  as  the  water 
began  to  flow  through  it,  permitting  more  to  spurt  through 
the  holes  than  came  out  of  the  nozzle,  was  the  statement 
made  by  Edward  Flanagan,  the  first  mate  of  the  vessel. 
He  made  this  assertion  calmly  and  deliberately,  fully 
appreciating  its  significance. 

"I  was  amidships,"  said  Flanagan,  "when  a  deck- 
hand ran  up  to  me  and  told  me  the  vessel  was  afire.  I 
did  not  wait  to  investigate,  but  ran  up  to  the  captain  and 
told  him  about  it,  first  stopping  to  tell  the  engineer. 
When  the  captain  heard  rne  he  ordered  full  steam  ahead 
and  made  for  North  Brother  Island  blowing  his  whistle 
all  the  time.  Then  I  ran  down  to  the  main  deck  to  take 
the  fire  apparatus,  and  some  of  the  deck  hands  and  I  be- 
gan to  get  out  the  hose.     We  got  out  three  lines  in  all. 

SCARCITY  OF  WATER, 

"  But  as  soon  as  the  water  was  turned  on  I  was  sur- 
prised to  see  each  line  burst  at  different  places  and  it 
was  impossible  to  get  enough  water  from  the  nozzles  to 
be  of  the  slightest  use  in  quenching  the  flames.  It 
seemed  that  the  hose  was  new,  and  what  put  it  in  that 
condition  I  am  at  a  loss  to  explain. 

"Abandoning  this  work  I  ran  to  the  stern  where  the 
women  and  children  were,  and  shouted  to  them  to  keep 
calm  and  not  to  be  afraid.  But  it  seemed  to  me  that 
most  of  them  were  Germans  who  did  not  under- 
stand English — whether  it  was  this  or  that  they  were  so 
frightened  that  they  did  not  hear  me — but  they  paid  not 
the  slightest  attention  to  me.  I  do  not  know  how  the  fire 
started  and  I  don't  believe  any  one  does,  but  it  is  my 
opinion  that  it  started  in  the  lamp  room." 


SYMPATHY   FROM  ALL  QUARTERS.  79 

His  voice  trembling  and  his  eyes  rilled  with  terror 
at  the  remembrance  of  the  scene  on  the  "  Slocnin  "  George 
Heintz,  seventeen  years  old,  told  how  deck  hands  had  de- 
serted the  passengers  and  left  them  to  the  mercy  of  the 
flames. 

He  spoke  in  high  terms  of  the  captain,  who,  he  said? 
had  called  upon  him  to  quiet  the  fears  of  the  women  and 
children.  Stepping  upon  a  rail  of  the  boat,  the  boy  talked 
to  the  panic  stricken  excursionists  until  he  was  forced 
into  the  water  by  the  rush  which  they  made  for  safety. 

"I  was  standing  on  the  upper  deck  near  the  pilot  house 
when  the  fire  started,"  said  Heintz.  "  With  me  were  my 
mother  and  my  two  sisters,  Louisa  and  Diana.  I  told 
them  to  stay  by  my  side  when  the  fire  came  toward  us. 
My  brother  Henry  was  there,  too,  but  he  and  my  mother 
and  sisters  were  lost  when  the  crowd  began  to  rush  to- 
ward the  sides.      Henry  was  saved,  the  rest   are  missing. 

RAN   FROM  THE   FLAMES. 

"When  the  flames  leaped  toward  us  the  deck  hands 
jumped  into  the  water.  Only  one  remained  and  he  made 
a  feeble  attempt  to  put  out  the  fire  with  water.  I  stood  on 
the  rail  entreating  the  crowd  to  allow  the  women  and 
children  a  chance  for  safety,  but  when  the  flames  began  to 
play  about  the  dresses  of  the  women  and  the  smoke  be- 
came thick  they   ran  away. 

"I  stopped  talking  long  enough  to  look  around  for 
my  brother,  mother  and  sisters.  I  could  not  find  them, 
but  a  short  distance  away  I  saw  the  figure  of  a  little  girl 
kneeling  in  prayer.  I  started  toward  her,  but  before  I  had 
gone  two  steps  she  was  enveloped  in  flames  and  I  was 
swept  over  the  side  by  frightened  passengers. 

"My   head   seemed  to  strike   in  a  mud   bank  after  I 


80  SYMPATHY  FROM  ALL  QUARTERS. 

went  under  the  surface  of  the  water  and,  struggling  tc 
look  about,  I  saw  the  figures  of  half  a  dozen  children,  bo}^s 
and  girls,  in  the  weeds  and  mud.  Some  way,  I  don't  know 
how,  I  got  to  the  surface  of  the  water  and  was  picked  up 
by  a  tug.' ' 

One  of  those  who  escaped  from  the  "Slocum"  was 
Louise  Gailiug,  the  fifteen-year-old  daughter  of  Christo- 
pher Gailing,  a  laborer,  who  resides  in  Nutley,  N.J.  The 
girl  jumped  from  the  burning  steamer  with  the  two-year- 
old  child  of  a  Hoboken  family,  by  whom  she  was  em 
ployed. 

At  the  home  of  the  Gailings  the  mother  said  she  had 
heard  nothing  from  her  daughter  and  knew  little  about 
the  disaster.  The  girl  would  easily  pass  for  seventeen 
years  of  age,  and  is  an  excellent  swimmer 

PUPILS  DEEPLY  MOVED. 

Soon  after  roll  call  in  the  various  schools  throughout 
the  city,  and  especially  in  those  adjacent  to  or  in  the  dis- 
trict principally  affected  by  the  disaster,  there  were  signs 
that  the  pupils  were  deeply  moved  by  the  great  loss  of 
life. 

Superintendent  Maxwell  sent  out  a  circular  to  prin 
cipals  in  schools,  in  which  he  expressed  the  sympathy 
felt  by  all  public  school  children  and  teachers,  and  in- 
structed that  flags  be  displayed  at  half-mast  on  all  public 
school  buildings  throughout  the  city. 

Dr.  Maxwell  pointed  out  the  lessons  of  the  disaster, 
urging  teachers  to  admonish  their  pupils  to  remain  cool 
and  collected  in  the  presence  of  sudden  danger,  to  learn  to 
swim  and  always  to  be  ready  to  lend  a  helping  hand  to  those 
weaker  than  themselves. 

A  heavy  pall  of  sorrow  hung  over  Public  School  No. 


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178  AVENUE  A.     NEW   YORK.     LOST. 


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76  AVENUE  A,     NEW  YORK.     LOST- 


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4 


SYMPATHY  FROM  ALL  QUARTERS.  81 

2  5,  in  Fifth  street,  near  First  avenue.  Of  the  2,000 
pupils  a  large  portion  were  relatives  of  the  excursionists, 
and  between  two  hundred  and  fifty  and  three  hundred  of 
the  regular  attendants  did  not  appear  in  their  classes. 
Of  this  number  the  principal,  Mr.  Robbins,  said  one 
hundred  and  ten  had  obtained  permission  on  Tuesday  to 
be  absent  Wednesday. 

Scores  of  boys  and  girls  appeared  in  their  class 
rooms,  their  eyes  red  with  weeping,  and  asked  to  be  ex- 
cused because  a  brother,  sister  or  relative  had  been  lost. 
The  school  flag  hung  at  half-mast. 

COMMENTS   BY  THE   PRESS. 

Commenting  on  the  great  calamity,  one  of  our 
prominent  journals  said  editorially: 

"After  every  great  disaster  there  is  a  general  dis- 
position to  hold  somebody  responsible.  It  is  always  as- 
sumed that  the  blame  can  be  and  must  be  exactly  fixed, 
and  that  justice  requires  some  individual  expiation.  Cer- 
tainly is  is  well  to  hold  all  persons  engaged  in  the 
transportation  of  passengers  to  a  strict  accountability,  but 
the  'lesson'  which  seems  most  forcibly  conveyed  by  the 
East  River  horror  is  one  of  man's  helplessness  against 
the  elements,  the  utter  futility  of  all  ordinary  human 
devices  under  extraordinary  conditions. 

"  The  '  General  Slocum  '  was  a  large  and  capacious 
steamboat,  and,  as  it  had  been  not  more  than  twelve  years 
in  service,  it  could  not  be  considered  old.  Of  course  it 
was  combustible,  but  so  are  nearly  all  steamboats.  Fire- 
proof construction  has  been  found  sufficiently  difficult  on 
land;  completely  fireproof  steamboats,  if  not  impossible, 
are  at  least  not  yet  in  common  use. 

"  There  are  few  boats,  upon  any  American  river,  that 

N.Y16 


82  SYMPATHY  FROM  ALL  QUARTERS. 

might  not  burn  as  rapidly  as  did  the  'General  Slocum'  if  a 
fire  started  in  the  bow  while  the  boat  was  steaming  against 
a  high  wind.  It  is  likely  that,  a  little  earlier  or  a  little 
later,  this  fire  might  have  been  extinguished,  or  the  boat 
might  have  run  ashore  with  safety  ;  occurring  just  when 
it  did,  all  the  conditions  were  combined  for  a  horrible 
catastrophe,  and  it  is  not  evident  that  the  'General 
Slocum  '  was  more  liable  to  this  than  any  similar  ex- 
cursion boat. 

"  It  may  be  said,  of  course,  that  a  fire  could  not 
occur  upon  a  steamboat  without  gross  carelessness.  That 
is  true  of  fires  generally,  even  in  a  dwelling  house. 
We  do  not  certainly  know,  in  this  case,  how  the  fire  orig- 
inated. We  do  know  that,  in  the  present  stage  of  human 
development,  there  is  no  certain  precaution  against 
accident,  and  the  only  way  to  be  absolutely  assured 
against  fire  on  a  steamboat  is  not  to  go  upon  the  boat . 

BOATS   MADE  OF  STEEL. 

"It  is  wiser  not  to  look  upon  the  '  General  Slocum' 
as  an  exceptional  '  death  trap,'  because  if  there  are  any 
practical  lessons  to  be  drawn  from  this  experience  they 
must  be  of  general  application.  A  form  of  steel  con- 
struction has  lately  been  introduced  for  river  steamers 
that  will  make  them  less  easily  combustible,  but  the 
builders  of  this  boat  are  not  to  be  blamed  above  all  others 
because  they  followed  the  forms  in  common  use.  Nor 
can  they  or  the  officers  of  the  boat  be  blamed  for  the 
inevitable  panic  which  increased  the  loss  of  life,  and 
added  untold  horror  to  the  tragedy. 

"  How  could  panic  have  been  prevented  or  allayed 
under  such  terrifying  conditions?  That  is  one  of  the  perils 
inseparable  from  a  large  crowd,  especially  of  women  and 


SYMPATHY  FROM  ALL  QUARTERS.  83 

children,  and  the  best  drilled  crew  must  have  been  help- 
less in  this  case  to  stay  it. 

11  One  count  in  the  indictment  against  the  '  General 
Slocum '  deserves  particular  consideration.  It  is  said 
that  the  life-preservers  were  old  and  unserviceable.  That 
is  probably  true  of  the  life-preservers  on  many  steamers, 
which  naturally  deteriorate  with  age  and  exposure.  Yet, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  how  many  passengers  on  any  steam- 
boat would  know  how  to  reach  a  life-preserver  or  to  put 
it  on  under  the  excitement  of  imminent  peril  ? 

"  Official  inspection  can  and  should  assure  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  these  appliances  in  good  condition,  but 
unless  each  passenger  were  fitted  with  a  life-preserver  on 
going  aboard  the  proportion  of  lives  preserved  by  them 
is  likely  to  be  small.  In  a  crowd  of  terrified  children 
any  such  reliance  must  be  futile. 

"  For  the  remainder  of  this  season  steamboat  excur- 
sions will  be  unpopular,  though  the  immediate  effect  of 
this  disaster  will  be  to  enforce  greater  care  and  vigilance 
than  have  been  known  before.  As  this  effect  wears  off 
and  the  vigilance  relaxes,  the  dread  will  also  wear  away 
and  everything  will  go  on  as  before — until  the  next  time. 
Really,  when  we  consider  the  extent  of  the  traffic  and 
the  many  sources  of  danger,  great  river  disasters  have 
not  been  numerous  in  this  country,  and  we  may  reason- 
ably regard  that  of  Wednesday  last  as  exceptional.  We 
shall  profit  more  by  it  if,  instead  of  trying  to  find  some 
one  on  whom  to  wreak  vengeance,  we  turn  attention  to 
possible  improvements  in  steamboat  construction  and 
management,  while  frankly  acknowledging  that  there 
are  forces  in  nature  against  which  all  the  pride  of  science 
is  powerless  and  catastrophes  that  teach  man  only  his 
own  littleness. " 


CHAPTER  V. 
STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES, 

ON  the  third  day  after  the  disaster  it  was  stated  that,  of 
the  559  bodies  recovered  from  the  ''General  Slocum" 
disaster,  512  had  been  identified.  There  were  still  462 
persons  nnaccounted  for,  so  that  the  final  death  list  wonld 
probably  be  almost  a  thousand.  Of  the  forty-seven 
bodies  not  yet  identified,  thirty-one  were  unrecognizable, 
and  their  names  will  never  be  known. 

Preliminary  to  the  inquest  to  be  held,  Coroner  Berry 
summoned  before  him  witnesses  who  were  expected  to 
testify  at  the  formal  inquiry.  Inspector  Lundberg,  one 
of  the  Government  inspectors  who  certified  to  the  ade- 
quacy and  efficiency  of  the  life  saving  and  other  equip- 
ment of  the  "General  Slocum,"  appeared  before  the 
Coroner,  accompanied  by  a  lawyer,  and  refused  to  testify, 
giving  as  his  reason  for  this  action  that  his  testimony 
might  tend  to  incriminate  him. 

It  was  asserted  by  a  deckhand  that  warning  of  the 
fire  was  given  while  the  vessel  was  abreast  of  the  north- 
ern end  of  Blackwell's  Island.  This  places  the  first 
warning  much  earlier  than    had  previously  been  stated. 

As  a  token  of  the  city's  mourning  for  the  dead  of  St. 
Mark's  parish  the  suggestion  was  made  that  church  bells 
all  over  the  city  be  tolled  between  the  hours  of  two  and 
three  o'clock  on  Monday.  This  suggestion  met  the  ap- 
proval of  many  churches. 

Investigation  of  the  disaster  was  fast  taking  shape. 
Urged  by  President  Roosevelt's  order  to  make  the  inquiry 
84 


STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES.  85 

thorough,  Secretary  Cortelyou  spent  the  morning  outlin- 
ing the  mode  of  procedure. 

Coroner  O'Gorman,  conducting  an  investigation  at 
North  Brother  Island,  declared  that  what  he  had  discov- 
ered convinced  him  that  the  crew  of  the  excursion  steamer 
had  made  no  attempt  to  save  the  passengers,  and  were 
guilty  of  cowardice. 

Sections  of  standpipes  and  hose  brought  from  the 
wreck  by  divers  showed  that  no  effort  had  been  made  to 
fight  the  fire  from  the  side  furthest  from  the  flames,  and 
that  not  all  of  the  apparatus  had  been  used. 

From  St.  Mark's  parish  the  first  funerals  of  the  vic- 
tims were  held.  Twenty-five  were  buried  in  one  cemetery, 
in  many  instances  several  members  of  the  same  family 
being  laid  at  rest  in  a  common  grave.  The  work  of 
burying  the  dead  went  forward  and  arrangements  were 
made  for  more  than  one  hundred  funerals  from  the 
stricken  district. 

GRIEF  IN   PUBLIC  SCHOOLS. 

From  ten  public  schools  in  the  vicinity  came  the 
record  of  eighty-three  dead,  sixty-six  missing,  thirty 
injured  aud  sixty  -eight  saved.  In  these  public  schools, 
which  include  all  in  two  districts,  no  graduation  exercises 
were  held,  the  children  receiving  their  diplomas  without 
ceremony. 

With  "  Slocum  "  victims  being  buried  by  the  hun- 
dreds and  with  charity  being  dispensed  with  free  hand, 
the  municipality  of  New  York  bent  its  utmost  energies 
to  investigating  the  causes  which  led  up  to  the  frightful 
disaster  by  which  nearly  one  thousand  human  beings 
perished,  with  a  view  to  punishing  those  responsible. 

Coroner   Berry   began  an    unofficial    investigation, 


86  STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES. 

which  resulted  in  unearthing  a  few  of  the  primary  causes 
of  the  disaster.     They  are  these  : 

There  were  two  barrels  of  dry  hay,  in  which  glasses 
had  been  packed,  in  the  lamproom,  where  the  fire  is  said 
to  have  originated — probably  by  some  one  smoking. 

A  standpipe,  with  a  piece  of  burnt  hose  attached, 
brought  to  the  surface  by  a  diver,  showed  that  the  valve 
had  not  been  turned  and  that  the  pipe  had  not  been  used. 

The  fire  was  discovered  at  Eighty-sixth  street,  oppo- 
site Black  well's  Island,  fully  two  and  one-half  miles  below 
North  Brother  Island, 

The  crew  made  no  effort  to  launch  the  lifeboats,  be- 
cause the  boats  were  surrounded  by  a  maddened,  frenzied 
mob,  which  would  have  required  a  hundred  men  to  drive 
aside. 

The  boat  was  newly  painted  and  burned  like  tinder. 

DOOMED  TO  HORRIBLE  DEATH. 

From  the  moment  the  unlawful  smoker  dropped  the 
spark  into  the  barrels  of  hay  illegally  placed  in  the  lamp- 
room,  the  victims  were  foredoomed  to  horrible  death. 
The  Man  with  the  Scythe  went  at  the  helm  and  had 
made  careful  preparations  for  his  harvest.  The  fire  hose 
was  rotten,  and  burst  the  moment  the  pumps  began  to 
work ;  the  life  preservers  were  filled  with  powdered  cork 
and  could  not  sustain  their  own  weight  in  the  water, 
much  less  that  of  a  human  being  ;  the  lifeboats  and  rafts 
were  fastened  to  the  decks  with  wire  cable — it  seems 
almost   like  a  prearranged  scheme  at  wholesale   murder. 

The  witnesses  called  by  Coroner  Berry  were  Mate 
Edward  Flanagan,  Walter  Payne,  a  colored  porter  ;  John 
J.  Coakley,  Elbert  Gassga,  an  oiler  ;  George  Owen,  a 
steward,  and  Martin  Guyer,  a  deckhand. 


STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES.  87 

The  Coroner  examined  the  witnesses  separately,  and, 
as  they  emerged  from  the  examination  room,  they  dis- 
cussed the  matter  freely. 

"  Before  we  left  the  pier  at  Third  street,"  said  Coak- 
ley,  "a  couple  of  barrels  of  glasses  were  brought  aboard 
and  stood  alongside  the  bar.  These  glasses  were  packed 
in  what  I  took  to  be  salt  meadow  hay,  that  fine  stuff  you 
always  see  glassware  packed  in.  In  a  little  while  these 
barrels  were  put  in  the  forward  cabin,  or  the  lamproom, 
which  is  between  decks.  The  barrels  were  put  there  be- 
cause it  was  feared  that  the  children  might  pull  out  the 
hay  and  scatter  it  around  the  boat. 

THE  FIRST  ALARM. 

"  I  was  on  the  hurricane  deck,  having  gone  there 
with  a  policeman  to  quiet  some  children.  I  went  below. 
When  I  left  the  hurricane  deck  Blackwell's  Island  light 
was  abreast.  The  bartender  asked  me  to  have  a  drink. 
As  I  finished  drinking  a  boy  came  and  told  me  he  thought 
he  saw  smoke  in  the  forward  cabin. 

"  I  ran  aft — the  cabin  is  aft  of  the  bar — and  into  the 
cabin,  where  I  encountered  a  heavy  smoke,  such  as  comes 
from  burning  hay.  The  fire  at  that  time  amounted  to 
very  little.  It  was  dark  in  there,  and  I  could  not  see 
much,  but  I  thought  I  could  put  out  the  fire  with  little 
difficulty.  There  were  two  bags  of  charcoal  outside,  and 
I  seized  one  of  these  and  dropped  it  on  the  fire.  That  did 
no  good,  so  I  ran  out  and  notified  the  mate.  I  got  the 
hose  and  tried  to  get  it  rolled  out  and  working  with  the 
assistance  of  Gassga. 

"  We  had  200  feet  of  hose,  and  only  forty  feet  to 
stretch  it  in.  The  hose  was  new,  having  been  put  on 
the  boat  this  season. 


88  STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES. 

"As  we  pulled  the  hose  off  the  reel  the  flames  in- 
creased and  broke  out,  and  the  passengers  became  panic- 
stricken.  We  tried  to  straighten  the  hose,  which  kinked 
up,  and  we  tried  to  pull  the  kinks  out.  Just  then  the 
water  was  started. 

"The  water  forced  itself  through  several  lengths  of 
hose,  and  when  it  came  against  one  of  the  kinks  the  hose 
burst.     It  could  not  stand  the  pressure." 

The  other  members  of  the  crew  who  were  present 
corroborated  the  statement  made  by  Coakley.  Mate 
Flanagan  said : 

STATEMENT  BY  MATE. 

"  I  was  standing  in  the  amidships  gangway  when 
Coakley  came  up  and  told  me  there  was  a  fire  in  the  for- 
ward cabin.  I  ordered  the  crew  to  get  to  work  with  the 
hose.  As  we  tried  to  unreel  the  hose  the  passengers 
interfered  with  us  greatly.  The  hose  had  several  kinks 
in  it. 

"  We  tried  to  get  these  kinks  out  but  were  unable  to 
do  so  up  to  the  time  the  water  was  started.  When  the 
water  was  started  a  coupling  came  loose." 

"  What  did  you  do  then  ?  "  was  asked. 

"  We  couldn't  do  anything.     After  that  everything 

went  to .  The  assistant  engineer  and  I  were  the  last 

to  leave  the  boat  at  our  end." 

Second  Mate  Corcoran  said : 

"A  sight  I  saw  on  that  boat  I  will  remember  a  long 
time,  I  guess.  I  saw  a  woman  give  birth  to  a  child  and 
then  jump  overboard  with  the  babe.  They  both  died.  I 
could  not  get  to  her,  the  crowd  was  so  great,  and  she  had 
no  help  at  all — people  were  crazy. 

"The  fire  was  all  around  her,  and  she  picked  up  her 


STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES. 

babe  in  her  arms,  wrapped  a  piece  of  Her  clothing  about 
it,  and,  sick  and  frightened  as  she  was,  looked  about  for 
a  way  to  escape.  There  was  none.  It  took  only  a  mo- 
ment for  her  to  realize  this.  Then  she  climbed  on  the 
railing  and  leaped  out  into  the  water." 

It  was  stated  by  divers  who  went  down  into  the 
wreck  at  dawn  that  there  were  many  bodies  still  under  the 
entanglement  of  timbers  and  paddle  wheels,  and  that  it 
would  be  necessary  to  dynamite  the  hulk  or  raise  it  before 
they  could  be  reached.  To  this  end  city  officials  com- 
municated with  a  wrecking  company,  and  an  announce- 
ment was  made  that  the  company  would  undertake  the 
work  of  bringing  the  wreck  to  the  surface. 

STORY    OF  CHIEF    ENGINEER. 

Chief  Engineer  B.  F.  Conklin,  of  the  "General  Slo- 
cum,"  who  was  wanted  by  Coroner  Berry,  of  The  Bronx, 
to  tell  the  story  of  the  disaster,  arrived  at  his  home  in 
Catskill.  He  was  ill  from  the  effects  of  the  terrible  ex- 
perience through  which  he  passed.  Speaking  about  it, 
he  said  : 

"  I  would  like  to  forget  that  fearful  thing  if  I  could 
and  thus  far  have  made  no  statement  about  it.  The 
boat  was  comfortably  filled,  though  not  packed,  «as  we 
were  licensed  to  carry  2500  and  there  were  about  1600 
aboard.  About  10.30  o'clock,  when  we  were  opposite 
138th  Street,  the  first  mate  approached  me  as  I  was 
standing  in  the  engine  room  talking  to  my  assistant, 
Everett  Brandow. 

"  He  said  that  a  fire  had  been  discovered  forward, 
and  I  at  once  ordered  him  to  lay  the  hose  while  I  went 
to  the  pumps,  first  notifying  the  captain,  who  was  in  the 
pilot  house. 


90  STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES. 

"  Iu  less  than  a  minute  water  was  being  poured  on 
the  flames,  but  it  did  not  seem  to  check  them  in  the 
least.  Two  minutes  or  so  later  the  fire  alarm  sounded 
and  some  one  on  deck  cried  'Fire  !' 

"  Instantly  there  was  a  roar  as  the  terrified  passen- 
gers arose  like  one  person  and  made  a  rush  for  the  stern. 
There  was  no  checking  that  frenzied  crowd.  Mingled 
with  the  smell  of  burning  paint  and  wood  was  the  sick- 
ening odor  of  burning  flesh.  The  women  and  children 
rushed  about  as  though  bereft  of  their  senses.  I  saw 
several  children  with  their  clothing  on  fire  and  their 
mothers  vainly  trying  to  put  out  the  flames  with  their 
hands. 

"  The  boat  had  been  newly  painted,  and  this,  of 
course,  made  it  burn  more  readily. 

PREVENTED   BY  CROWD. 

"  We  had  eight  lifeboats  and  two  rafts  aboard,  but  it 
was  an  utter  impossibility  to  get  near  them,  for  the 
crowd  was  so  dense  about  them  that  it  would  have  taken 
a  hundred  men  to  push  the  frenzied  persons  aside  and 
launch  the  boats." 

A  pathetic  story  was  contained  in  the  report  made 
to  the  St.  Mark's  Church  Information  Bureau  by 
Miss  Helen  Goldstrum,  a  teacher  in  a  public  school  in 
the  heart  of  the  stricken  district.  Miss  Goldstrum  gave 
instructions  to  a  class  of  twenty  little  girls  and  six  boys,    l 

After  the  accident  she  made  a  canvass  of  their 
homes  and  found  that  nearly  twenty  members  of  her 
class  were  dead  or  missing  with  no  hope  of  any  being 
found  alive.  The  bodies  of  twelve  of  the  little  girls 
have  been  recovered.     Five  of  the  six  boys  were  saved. 

Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Labor  George   B.  Cor- 


STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES.  91 

telyou,  who  had  a  long  conference  with  Robert  S.  Rodie, 
inspector  of  the  Second  District  of  New  York,  said  that 
he  would  give  his  personal  attention  to  the  Federal 
investigation  of  the  "  Slocnm  "  disaster. 

"  As  Secretary  of  the  Department  of  Commerce 
and  Labor  I  am  the  head  of  the  Federal  inquiry  into 
this  affair,  and  I  propose  to  give  it  my  personal  and  in 
so  far  as  possible  my  undivided  attention  until  the  mat- 
ter is  finally  settled.  As  soon  as  practical  the  Board  of 
Inspectors  will  get  together  and  take  testimony. 

NO   ONE  WOULD   BE   SHIELDED. 

"I  want  to  correct  an  impression  that  seems  to  have 
gone  abroad  that  this  investigation  will  be  left  to  subor- 
dinates in  the  department.  I  will  hold  the  inquiry  my- 
self." 

Mr.  Cortelyou  said  that  if  it  was  found  to  be  true 
that  employees  of  the  Government  had  been  criminally 
negligent  in  their  inspection  of  boilers  in  New  York 
harbor  the  public  could  rest  assured  that  no  one  would  be 
shielded,  but  that  the  blame  would  be  placed  where  it 
properly  belonged. 

It  developed  that  a  new  horror  had  been  added  to 
the  terrible  condition  resulting  from  the  "  Slocum " 
disaster  through  the  over-officiousness  of  some  person  at 
the  Morgue. 

When  the  bodies  were  taken  by  hundreds  from  the 
water  and  laid  in  rows  on  the  grass  at  North  Brother 
Island  each  was  tagged  with  a  number.  That  number 
was  carefully  recorded  and  the  papers,  valuables  and 
trinkets  which  would  have  served  to  identify  positively 
the  bodies  were  removed  and  placed  in  separate  packages, 
each  package  bearing  a  number  corresponding  to  the 


02  STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES. 

number  on  the  body  from  which  the  articles  were 
taken. 

These  packages  then  were  placed  in  the  custody  of 
the  Coroner. 

When  the  bodies  were  taken  to  the  Morgue  they 
were  placed  in  numbered  boxes,  but  in  many  cases  these 
numbers  did  not  correspond  with  the  figures  the  bodies 
previously  had  borne.  As  a  result,  the  plans  were  com- 
pletely upset,  and  the  numbered  packages  of  valuables 
became  practically  worthless  as  a  means  of  identification. 

The  life  preservers  marked  " Edwin  Forrest"  found 
on  some  of  the  victims  of  the  "Slocum"  disaster,  were 
part  of  a  lot  that  were  bought  and  shipped  from  Phila- 
delphia in  1898. 

SAID  TO  BE  IN  GOOD  CONDITION. 

How  old  some  of  them  were  at  that  time  or  what  care 
was  taken  of  them  afterwards  is  unknown,  but  it  is 
claimed  that  all  were  in  fair  condition  when  they  left 
Philadelphia. 

Frederick  Craemer  bought  the  old  "Forrest"  from 
the  Upper  Delaware  River  Navigation  Company,  in  1898, 
and  broke  her  up  at  Rickenback's  Shipyard  at  Cramer 
Hill,  N.  J.     Mr.  Craemer  said  : 

"I  took  the  life  preservers  off  the  "Forrest"  and 
while  I  can't  say  that  I  carefully  inspected  each  one,  I 
know  that  they  were  in  good  condition.  Some  were  ap- 
parently nearly  new,  but  I  have  no  means  of  knowing- 
how  old  the  others  were.  They  were  of  the  ground-cork- 
filled  type,  which,  of  course,  are  useless  as  soon  as  the 
canvas  covering  gives  way. 

"I  shipped  in  all  nearly  3000  life  preservers  to  New 
York  about  that  time,  selling  them  to  several  different 


STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES.  93 

parties,  and  doubtless  some  of  these  were  the  ones  found 
on  the  ill-fated  "Slocum." 

Many  illustrations  were  supplied  during  the  "Slo- 
cum" disaster  of  the  crazy  actions  which  panic-stricken 
people  will  perform,  but  that  of  the  purser  of  the  boat, 
Michael  Graham,  which  cost  him  his  life,  is  the  most  re- 
markable of  all. 

The  story  was  told  by  Chief  Mate  Edward  Flanagan, 
of  the  "Slocum,"  when  testifying  before  District  Attorney 
Jerome.     He  said  in  part : — 

SUDDENLY  WENT  TO  THE  BOTTOM. 

"Purser  Graham  was  a  good  swimmer,  and  I  had  no 
fear  for  his  safety  when  I  saw  him  leap  from  the  boat 
into  the  river.  To  my  surprise,  instead  of  striking  out 
for  the  shore,  he  flung  his  hands  up,  and,  with  terror  on 
his  face,  called  wildly  for  help.  Then  he  went  to  the 
bottom  like  a  stone. 

"The  mystery  was  solved  when  I  learned  that,  be- 
fore leaving  his  ofhce,  he  crammed  his  pockets  with  bills 
and  silver,  about  $1000  in  all.  The  heavy  coin  had 
carrried  him  to  his  death  in  an  instant." 

Steamboatmen  discussing  the  question  of  saving  life 
in  case  of  an  accident  such  as  befell  the  "General  Slo- 
cum," were  largely  of  the  opinion  that  the  provisions 
made  were  inadequate.  All  the  boats  plying  on  the 
harbor,  river  and  bay  have  been  inspected  and  given 
certificates  of  safety. 

The  law  regarding  the  life-saving  appliances  calls 
for  a  proper  number  of  small  boats,  to  be  kept  in  good 
condition,  and  for  life-preservers  sufficient  to  equip  every 
soul  aboard.  This  latter  rule  is  always  complied  with, 
so  far  as  the  numbers  go,  but  it  was  admitted  at  the 


94  STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES. 

office  of  the  inspectors  that  no  bouyancy  tests  are 
applied. 

Inspections  are  made  once  a  year,  but  may  be  made 
oftener  at  the  request  of  vessel  owners.  It  was  believed 
that  many  of  the  owners  would  seek  the  services  of  the 
inspectors  again  and  ask  for  a  thorough  test. 

It  was  pointed  out  by  shipping  men  that  excursion 
steamboats  carry  small  crews  in  comparison  to  the  num- 
ber of  passengers,  and  that  while  a  fire  drill  is  practiced 
on  most  of  them  to  some  extent,  boat  drills  are  not. 
Some  vessels  do  not  have  their  boats  lowered  away  once 
in  a  season  and  fouled  tackle,  the  mariners  say,  is  a 
natural  consequence. 

REFUSED  TO  ANSWER  QUESTIONS, 

Henry  Lundberg,  United  States  Steamboat  Inspec- 
tor, refused  to  answer  questions  put  to  him  about  the  last 
inspection  of  the  "  General  Slocum,"  taking  the  stand 
that  any  reply  that  he  made  might  tend  to  incriminate 
him.  Coroner  Joseph  T.  Berry  had  summoned  many 
witnesses  to  his  headquarters,  at  the  corner  of  Third  and 
Tremont  avenues,  to  obtain  their  informal  statements 
before  examining  them  at  the  inquest,  to  aid  him  in  his 
investigation. 

Inspector  Lundberg  went  to  the  Coroner's  office  in 
obedience  to  a  summons.  He  was  accompanied  by  a 
lawyer.  He  entered  the  Coroner's  private  room  and 
answered  some  questions  put  to  him  concerning  his 
official  duties. 

"When  did  you  last  inspect  the  "Slocum?"  in- 
quired Coroner  Berry. 

"  I  respectfully  decline  to  answer  that  question  by 
ftd.yice  of  counsel^"  returned  the  inspector. 


STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES.  95 

*  On  what  grouud  ?  "  pursued  the  Coroner,  who  was 
surprised  by  this  attitude  of  a  United  States  official. 

"On  the  ground  that  an  answer  might  tend  to 
incriminate  me,"  said  Inspector  Lundberg,  who  was  then 
excused.  Coroner  Berry  communicated  these  facts  to  the 
District  Attorney's  office. 

Coroner  Berry  obtained  during  the  day  from  mem- 
bers of  the  "  Slocum's  "  crew  statements  which  he  deemed 
of  vital  importance,  not  only  as  tending  to  settle  the 
question  as  to  the  part  of  the  steamer  in  which  the  fire 
originated,  but  also  as  indicating  that  the  flames  were 
discovered  much  earlier  than  had  generally  been 
supposed. 

There  was  some  conflict  between  the  witnesses  about 
various  details,  but  several  points  were  made  clear.  One 
of  the  deckhands  had  his  attention  called  to  the  fire  and 
tried  to  smother  it  before  summoning  the  mate.  The 
hose  was  then  attached,  but  for  some  reason  it  did  not 
work,  and  the  panic  followed. 

CONFLICTING  STATEMENTS. 

Although  officers  of  the  boat  placed  the  first  discov- 
ery of  the  flames  at  a  time  when  the  u  Slocum  "  was  pass- 
ing the  sunken  meadows,  John  J.  Coakle}^,  a  deck  hand, 
who  was  admittedly  the  first  to  report  the  fire,  swore  that 
the  "Slocum"  had  been  much  further  down  the  river 
and  that,  consequently,  the  complete  destruction  had  not 
been  effected  as  rapidly  as  supposed. 

Coakley  was  the  first  one  admitted  into  the  private 
examination  room,  and  his  testimony  was  taken  by  a 
stenographer.  He  told  his  story  without  hesitation, 
attributing  the  origin  of  the  fire  to  some  person  who  had 
smoked  in    the  dark  storeroom   filled  wTith   inflammable 


96  STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES. 

materials.  The  inference  drawn  by  those  who  heard 
him  was  that  some  member  of  the  crew  who  had  tried  to 
escape  observation  while  he  smoked,  was  responsible  for 
the  disaster. 

He  had  left  the  npper  deck  to  accept  the  invitation 
of  the  bartender  to  take  a  drink.  On  his  way  down  he 
noticed  the  Blackwell's  Island  light  and  he  believed  that 
the  boat  was  abont  opposite  Eighty-sixth  street.  After 
he  had  ponred  out  his  drink  and  swallowed  it,  a  boy  ran 
up  to  the  bar  and  told  him  that  there  was  a  lot  of  smoke 
coming  from  the  forward  cabin.  C.  Oakley  hurried  to 
the  place  and  found  a  dense  smoke,  such  as  might  come 
from  smouldering  hay.  Two  barrels  of  glasses  had  been 
taken  on  the  "Slocum  "  at  the  Third  street  pier  and  had 
been  placed  in  the  cabin  used  as  a  general  storeroom. 
The  glasses  were  packed  in  what  C.  Oakley  assumed  to 
be  salt  meadow  hay. 

TRYING  TO  SMOTHER  FLAMES. 

uThe  fire  didn't  seem  to  amount  to  much  then," 
continued  the  deck  hand.  "It  was  dark,  but  I  thought  I 
could  put  out  the  fire  without  much  difficult}'.  There 
were  two  bags  of  charcoal  outside  and  I  seized  one  and 
put  it  over  the  hay  with  the  idea  of  smothering  the 
flames.  This  did  no  good,  and  so  I  notified  the  mate 
and  he  instructed  us  to  get  out  the  hose.  We  had  about 
two  hundred  feet  of  hose  and  only  about  forty  feet  of 
space  for  stretching  it.  There  were  kinks  in  the  hose, 
and  while  we  were  trying  to  straighten  them  out,  the 
flames  increased  violently  and  passengers  rushed  about 
and  interfered  with  us. 

"  There  were  a  lot  of  kinks  left  when  the  water  was 
turned  on ;  the  water  forced  its  way  to  one  of  the  kinks 


STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES.  !>7 

and  then  the  hose   burst,  as  the   pressure  was  too   great. 
Then  we  could  do  nothing/' 

Coakley  admitted  that  for  a  time  he  was  as  much 
excited  as  the  passengers  as  the  flames  continued  to 
spread.  He  ran  up  on  deck,  and  saw  a  boy  of  about 
fifteen  climb  on  the  side  rail  and  drop  into  the  water 
near  the  revolving  paddle  wheel,  which  sucked  him  up. 
Coakley  helped  to  loosen  the  wire  which  held  the  life 
preservers  and  they  fell  to  the  floor. 

GRABBED   BABY  AND  JUMPED. 

As  the  "  Slocuru "  struck  he  grabbed  a  baby  and 
jumped  overboard.  He  was  almost  drowned  by  a  woman 
who  seized  him,  but  he  managed  to  shake  her  off  and  to 
reach  land  with  the  baby.  He  was  convinced  that  the 
captain  had  not  erred  in  beaching  the  "  Slocum "  at 
North  Brother  Island.  Coakley  had  little  rest  after  the 
disaster,  as  he  was  haunted  by  visions  of  burning  and 
drowning  masses  whenever  he  tried  to  sleep. 

Mate  Flanagan's  story  differed  from  that  of  Coakley 
in  several  respects.  He  was  under  the  impression  that 
the  "  Slocum"  was  about  opposite  East  Ninety-seventh 
street  when  he  was  notified  of  the  fire.  While  he  was 
having  the  hose  prepared  for  use  a  coupling  became 
loose,  and  when  the  water  was  turned  on  it  escaped  at 
this  joint.  Before  the  hose  could  be  properly  arranged 
the  panic  had  occurred.  He  said  he  and  an  assistant 
engineer  were  the  last  to  leave  the  hold.  He  jumped 
iuto  about  ten  feet  of  water  and  was  exhausted  when  he 
reached  shore.  The  other  members  of  the  crew  who 
were  examined  substantially  agreed  with  this  version. 

Coroner  Berry  kept  a  staff  of  clerks  busy  issuing 
subpoenas  for  the  inquest.     He  wished  to  obtain  the  testi- 

N.Y.7 


98  STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES. 

niony  of  as  many  adult  survivors  as  possible,  and  of  all 
who  were  in  a  position  to  throw  any  light  upon  the  des- 
truction of  the  "General  Slocum."  He  believed  that  the 
investigation  before  him  should  be  as  thorough  as  pos- 
sible. 

"Evidence  before  me  so  far  indicates  an  appalling 
failure  on  the  part  of  the  crew  of  the  'General  Slocum' 
to  assist  the  helpless  passengers  during  the  tragic  half 
hour.  I  have  examined  eye  witnesses  of  the  disaster, 
none  of  whom  remembers  to  have  seen  any  efforts  made 
by  the  crew,  although  the  witnesses  themselves  were 
among  those  to  risk  life  in  rescue  work.  Stand  pipes  for 
the  fire  hose,  taken  from  the  wreck  to-day,  show  that  on 
the  side  of  the  boat  farthest  away  from  the  flames  no  at- 
tempt was  made  to  use  the  fire  fighting  apparatus.  Valves 
are  found  unturned  and  caps  are  still  in  place.  There 
is  nothing  to  show  that  the  crew  did  not  look  out  for 
itself  alone.  Only  one  member  appears  to  have  perished 
and  that  one  was  a  steward." 

CREWS  CALLED  AS  WITNESSES. 

In  the  foregoing  words  Coroner  O' Gorman  summed 
up  the  results  of  an  important  part  of  his  day's  labor  on 
North  Brother  Island,  and  around  the  wreck  of  the 
"Slocum"  off  Oak  Point,  nearly  two  miles  away.  The 
Coroner  had  in  fact  devoted  every  minute  he  could  spare 
from  the  task  of  attending  to  the  eight  bodies  recovered 
to  the  preliminary  investigation. 

Early  in  the  day  he  had  called  before  him  the  crews 
of  the  tug  boat  "Wade"  and  the  "Franklin  Edson,"  the 
island  ferry.  Blistered  paint  and  woodwork  on  both 
boats  showed  where  they  were  while  the  fire  raged,  and  of 
each  member  of  the  crew  the  Coroner  asked  what  work, 


STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES.  99 

if  any,  was  done  by  the  crew  of  the  "Slocum."     What  lie 
found  was  expressed  in  his  utterance  to  the  press. 

Following  this  he  called  before  him  the  staff  of  the 
North  Brother  Hospital  corps,  including  every  one  from 
Dr.  Stewart  to  the  humblest  orderly.  Physicians  and 
nurses,  as  well  as  patients  who  had  risked  their  lives 
wading  and  swimming  out  into  the  swift  tide,  were  asked 
to  tell  of  their  observations.  Not  one  of  them  could  re- 
lieve the  impression  first  produced  by  the  testimony. 

EVIDENCE   OF  STAND  PIPES. 

At  the  wreck  the  Coroner  had  John  M.  Rice,  a  diver 
employed  by  the  Department  of  Docks,  busy  at  work 
collecting  the  silent  evidence  of  stand  pipes,  reels,  noz- 
zles and  the  like.  Rice  had  not  been  working  an  hour 
on  the  starboard  side  of  the  boat  aft  of  the  paddle  box 
when  he  came  up  with  a  section  of  a  stand  pipe,  the  cap 
of  which  had  not  been  removed. 

"It  shows  that  no  attempt  whatsoever  was  made  to 
attach  the  hose,"  was  the  official  comment  on  this  start- 
ling evidence. 

Later  in  the  day  Rice  brought  up  another  stand 
pipe  twelve  feet  long,  to  one  end  of  which  was  a  wheel 
valve.  Burnt  shreds  showed  that  a  hose  had  been  at- 
tached to  this  pipe,  but  further  investigation  showed  that 
the  valve  had  never  been  turned.  Then  too  came  a  reel 
with  shreds  of  unbound  hose,  and  a  nozzle  which  had  not 
been  removed  from  its  place. 

"That  an  effort  was  made  to  use  hose  has  been  told/' 
said  the  Coroner,  "but  that  an  effort  was  made  to  use  ii 
on  the  safe  side  of  the  boat  away  from  the  flameshas  not 
yet  been  shown.  With  discipline  or  practice  it  would 
appear  that  the  vantage  point  for  the   crew  would   have 


100  STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES. 

been  to  the  starboard  away  from  fire,  but  they  were  never 
there  so  far  as  I  can  see." 

Of  the  bodies  found  on  the  third  day  only  one,  so 
far  as  known,  was  identified  at  North  Brother  Island. 
That  was  the  body  of  August  Well,  fifteen  years  old. 
Young  Well  went  to  the  picnic  with  his  brother  Charles, 
two  years  younger.  Charles  escaped,  but  two  months 
before  August  had  broken  his  leg,  which  was  still  incased 
in  plaster  of  paris.  The  weight  dragged  him  to  the  bot- 
tom. Of  the  others  found  one,  a  girl  eleven  years  old, 
wore  a  ring  of  rubies  and  pearls  on  her  left  hand  and  a 
turquois  ring  on  her  right.  Another,  a  girl  of  fourteen, 
had  a  long  gold  chain  around  her  neck,  to  which  was  at- 
tached a  locket  which  had  for  a  monogram  "W.  A.  C." 

MERRIMENT  ON   A  SISTER  BOAT. 

With  flags  flying,  bands  playing  and  nothing  but 
jollity  and  merriment  aboard  the  steamboat  "Grand  Re- 
public" passed  the  wreck  bearing  the  thousand 
and  more  who  were  attending  the  outing  of  the  120th 
street  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  The  "Grand  Re- 
public" did  not  slow  down  as  she  approached,  as  the 
police  require  when  divers  are  at  work,  and  whistles  on 
tugs  and  launches  had  to  be  blown  vigorously  to  compel 
the  action.  Patrick  Gilligan,  a  diver,  was  under  water 
then  and  the  booming  of  her  big  paddles  brought  him  to 
the  surface  in  a  hurry. 

As  the  steamboat  swept  by  the  shores  of  North 
Brother  Island  the  crowds  rushed  to  the  side  nearest  the 
island  to  get  a  good  view  of  the  work  of  rescue  going  on 
there.  According  to  the  police  and  other  witnesses  of 
the  scene,  the  excursionists  waved  handkerchiefs. 

When  the  roll  of  those  who  risked  life  to  save  pas- 


STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES.  101 

sengers  of  the  "General  Slocum  "  is  made  up  no  names 
will  stand  higher  than  those  of  eleven  members  of  the 
Bronx  Yacht  Club.  In  three  small  launches  the  eleven 
men  in  the  space  of  a  half  hour  drew  from  the  water  no 
drowning  persons.  Within  six  hours  afterward  they 
had  recovered  127  bodies  from  the  tide  and  from  the 
beaches. 

The  Bronx  Yacht  Club  is  a  small  organization,  with 
headquarters  at  the  foot  of  Willow  avenue,  which  face  the 
Bronx  Kills,  by  which  the  burning  steamboat  passed. 
Its  members  are  all  rivermen,  owners  of  small  launches 
and  sailboats.  All  of  them  know  the  treacherous  cur- 
rents of  Hell  Gate  and  the  swirling  tide  rips  that  strike 
off  from  the  many  islands  thereabout.  They  were  all 
about  the  club  when  the  "  Slocum  "  passed,  and  three 
minutes  later  were  in  pursuit. 

MANY  BODIES  DRAGGED  ASHORE. 

H.  Burgi,  owner  of  the  auxiliary  sloop  "  Elsie," 
hastily  gathered  with  him  Charles  Wetzel,  steward  of 
the  club  ;  Rudolph  Zimmerman,  Frank  Barky  and  Rob- 
ert Start.  They  pulled  from  the  water  alive,  sixty-two. 
men,  women  and  children,  and  landed  them  on  North 
Brother  Island.     Later  they  found  thirty-two  of  the  dead. 

Policeman  Andrew  Woods,  of  the  Alexander  avenue 
station,  was  on  strike  duty  near  138th  street.  Running 
with  all  his  might  he  soon  had  with  him  Peter  Jansen 
and  John  Rau  in  the  launch  "  Peter."  Twenty-three 
living  persons  were  pulled  from  the  water  by  the  three 
men  and  later  thirty-eight  dead  were  found. 

In  the  launch  "Surprise"  went  Reuben  Tudor  and 
Granville  Gibbons.  They  found  three  women  alive  float- 
ing in  the  current.  Policeman  Herbert  C.  Farrell,  of  the 


102  STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES. 

Alexander  avenue  station,  was  at  a  fire,  but  he  hastily 
collected  some  men,  strangers  to  him,  and  they  seized  the 
small  boat  of  the  tug  "  E.  A.  Bayliss."  Twenty-two  liv- 
ing persons  were  saved  by  them  and  sixteen  dead  were 
picked  up. 

The  Chief  Engineer  said : 

"  I  saw  several  children  with  their  clothing  on  fire 
and  their  mothers  vainly  trying  to  put  out  the  flames 
with  their  hands.  I  never  saw  fire  spread  with  such 
rapidity,  and  in  less  time  than  it  has  taken  for  me  to  tell 
you  this  the  whole  front  part  of  the  vessel  was  in  flames. 

TRAMPLED  TO  DEATH. 

"  Those  who  were  on  the  lower  deck  rushed  aft  and 
many  children  were  knocked  down  and  trampled  to  death. 
I  can  yet  hear  those  agonizing  and  piercing  screams  and 
feel  the  scorching  flames. 

"  I  realized  that  our  only  safety  was  to  beach  the 
boat,  and  I  knew  that  North  Brother  Island  was  the  only 
place  to  do  it.  We  could  not  turn  back  and  beach  on  the 
meadows,  for  we  were  above  them,  and  I  was  fearful  that 
we  might  strike  a  rock  in  Hell  Gate. 

"  Had  this  happened  the  loss  of  life  would  have  been 
greater,  for  no  one,  not  excepting  a  good  swimmer,  could 
have  kept  afloat  in  that  swift  water. 

"  It  all  happened  so  suddenly,  and  the  fire  spread 
with  such  rapidity,  that  in  less  than  fifteen  minutes  after 
it  was  discovered  the  boat  was  in  flames  from  stem  to 
stern. 

"  When  the  boat  was  beached  and  I  left  the  engine 
room  they  were  still  working. 

"Just  before  the  "Slocum"  was  beached  the  engine 
room  was  in  flames,  and  the  large  mirrors  in  it  fell  with  a 


STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES  103 

crash.  I  looked  for  Brandow,  and  he  was  still  standing 
near  the  throttle,  with  the  flames  all  about  him.  The 
heat  was  intense,  but  I  did  not  seem  to  feel  it  much.       ' 

"  When  the  boat  grounded  there  was  a  terrible  crash 
as  the  upper  deck  gave  way,  and  for  a  moment  I  felt  sick, 
for  I  knew  that  many  people  were  caught  beneath  it. 
Brandow  stopped  his  engine,  and  we  made  our  way  with 
difficulty  aft. 

"  Here  there  were  a  number  of  women  and  children, 
who  beseeched  us  piteously  to  save  them.  I  did  my  best 
to  calm  them,  and  told  them  they  must  jump  overboard. 
Just  then  a  tug  came  up  alongside,  and  a  rush  was  made 
for  it. 

"  I  was  carried  over  with  the  rest,  and  fell  underneath 
the  struggling  mass." 

Second  Mate  James  Corcoran  told  the  Coroner  Conk- 
lin  was  among  the  first  to  hurry  off  the  vessel  to  a  tug. 

ENGINEER  FLED  FROM  DANGER. 

"The  first  engineer  (Conklin)  was  not  at  his  post  at 
the  time  of  the  fire,"  Corcoran  declared.  "He  was  one 
of  the  very  first  to  leave  the  boat." 

The  district  surrounding  St.  Mark's  Church  was  one 
of  mourning.  Clubs,  churches  of  all  denominations, 
stores,  schools  and  restaurants  were  draped  in  mourning. 
Scores  of  funerals  were  held. 

A  Methodist  church  and  Baptist  church  were  used 
for  several  of  the  funerals,  but  the  majority  were  held  at 
the  homes  of  the  victims.  Fifty  Lutheran  clergymen  ap- 
peared at  St.  Mark's  Church  and  were  sent  around 
through  the  district  to  conduct  the  funerals. 

Several  pastors  held  funerals  over  as  many  as  six 
bodies.     Sixth  street,  in  the  vicinity  of  the   church,  was 


104  STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES. 

packed  from  early  morning  till  late  at  night.  All  busi- 
ness in  the  street  and  in  the  surrounding  streets  was  sus- 
pended ;  in  most  places  a  card  in  the  window  said  : 
''Closed  on  account  of  death." 

Late  in  the  afternoon  a  carriage  drove  slowly  past 
the  church  with  a  corpse  sitting  upright  on  the  back  seat 
supported  by  cushions.  The  body  was  wrapped  in  a 
sheet  and  was  alone  in  the  carriage.  The  driver  had 
brought  it  from  the  Morgue. 

FIRST  FUNERAL  OF  A  VICTIM. 

The  first  funeral  of  a  victim  of  the  disaster  was  that 
of  Miss  Agnes  Bell,  19  years  old.  The  policemen 
guarded  the  hearse  as  it  moved  toward  the  Twenty-third 
street  ferry,  and  hundreds  of  mourners  walked  after  it. 
The  burial  was  in  the  Lutheran  Cemetery,  at  Middle 
Village,  L.  I. 

Following  Miss  Bell's  funeral,  others  were  held  as 
fast  as  possible,  and  at  night  the  hearses  and  processions 
of  carriages  were  going  through  the  streets. 

The  body  of  a  man  was  taken  out  of  the  water,  and 
clasped  in  his  right  hand  was  a  big  bag  of  coins,  dimes, 
nickels  and  pennies.  The  man  was  clutching  the  bag 
with  such  a  grip  that  it  took  some  strength  to  loosen  the 
hold.  The  money  caused  his  death.  Had  he  dropped 
the  bag  and  used  his  hands  he  undoubtedly  could  have 
kept  afloat.  A  policemen  put  the  bag  on  a  pair  of  scales, 
and  found  that  it  weighed  twenty-six  pounds.  It  dragged 
the  man  to  the  bottom,  without  a  show  for  life. 

Mayor  McClellan  issued  a  formal  appeal  to  aid 
through  the  relief  committee. 

More  than  $16,000  was  contributed  on  the  third  day 
for  the  relief  of  survivors  of  the  wreck.     One  of  the  first 


STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES.  106 

big  gifts  came  from  H.  H.  Rogers,  the  Standard  Oil  mil- 
lionaire. It  was  a  $1000  gold  certificate,  which  was 
pinned  to  a  slip  of  paper  bearing  the  sender's  name. 

In  order  to  ascertain  if  there  was  any  basis  for  the 
accusations  which  are  being  made  against  the  captain  of 
the  "  Slocum,"  or  if  on  the  other  hand  there  was  any 
basis  for  the  vigorous  defense  which  his  friends  were 
making  on  his  behalf,  a  newspaper  chartered  a  vessel  and 
sent  it  over  the  course  which  the  steamer  took. 

On  board  were  photographers  equipped  with  cameras, 
experts  who  were  to  note  where  a  vessel  of  the  "  Slocum  " 
type  coifid  or  could  not  be  beached,  and  lead  lines  to 
verify  the  depth  of  water  as  given  by  harbor  charts. 

ALARM    ON  THE  STEAMBOAT. 

It  appears  that  the  fire  was  discovered  by  a  deck- 
hand just  before  the  "Slocum"  entered  Hell  Gate.  He 
told  how  he  first  tried  to  smother  the  blaze  and  then  gave 
the  alarm  to  the  mate,  who  transmitted  it  by  tube  to  the 
captain  in  the  pilot  house. 

Going  through  Hell  Gate  with  a  flood  tide  vessels 
habitually  travel  at  their  best  speed,  as  in  that  narrow 
swirl  of  water  a  vessel  must  answer  her  helm  quickly, 
which  she  would  be  unable  to  do  if  she  were  going  slowly. 
The  "  Slocum  "  had  the  tide  with  her,  and  this,  with  her 
own  speed,  must  have  been  carrying  her  along  at  fully 
eighteen  knots. 

As  only  a  few  minutes  elapsed  from  the  moment 
when  the  fire  was  first  discovered  to  the  time  when  the 
captain  hurried  from  the  pilot  house  to  make  inves- 
tigation, it  indicates  that  the  position  of  tne  "  Slocum  " 
then  was  about  midway  of  Ward's  Island. 

Giving  him  one  minute  to  make  his  way  from   the 


106  STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES. 

pilot  house  to  the  "  forward  cabin,"  as  the  witnesses 
speak  of  the  compartment  where  the  fire  was  discovered, 
and  another  minute  to  make  his  way  back  to  the  pilot 
house,  the  "Slocum"  then  would  have  reached  the 
sunken  meadows,  that  long,  wide  shoal,  where  she  might 
*  have  been  beached,  broad  off  her  port  bow. 

No  one  except  the  captain  himself  can  know  what 
his  estimate  of  the  danger  was.  Steamboat  captains,  like 
railroad  engine  drivers,  must  needs  have  active  brains 
and  decision,  and  action  must  come  at  once.  Estimating 
the  time  which  the  newspaper  boat  made  over  this  par- 
ticular part  of  the  route — the  difference  in  speed  and  state 
of  tide  being  noted — it  is  figured  that  the  captain  of  the 
"  Slocum  "  had  between  one  minute  and  a  minute  and  a 
half  in  which  to  decide  if  the  blaze  which  had  broken  out 
forward  was  serious  enough  to  warrant  his  seeking  the 
sunden  meadows  as  a  place  to  beach. 

NO  PLACE  TO  LAND. 

It  had  been  urged  that  the  "  Slocum  "  could  have 
been  beached  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  stream.  The 
expedition  found  no  place  on  that  side  where  this  was 
practicable,  the  banks  being  "steep  to,"  like  sea  walls  in 
other  words. 

The  chance  of  beaching  on  the  sunken  meadows 
having  passed — the  "  Slocum  "  being  an  unwieldy  vessel 
and  the  tide  with  her — the  next  place  where  the  vessel 
might  have  gone  was  to  the  pier  of  the  Health  Depart- 
ment at  the  foot  of  East  13 2d  street.  The  steamboat  "Ed- 
son,"  lying  there  promptly  vacated  the  berth  and  seems  to 
have  done  all  she  could  with  her  whistles  to  call  atten- 
tion to  the  berth. 

Captain  Van  Schaick  does  not  say  that  he  saw  this  ; 


STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES.  107 

he  says  though  that  he  did  sheer  in  to  make  the  pier  six 
blocks  further  up,  but  was  warned  away. 

The  captain,  in  his  statement,  adds  that  he  then 
stood  for  North  Brother  Island,  intending  to  beach  there. 
Scores  of  witnesses  have  said  that  the  forward  decks 
caved  in  before  the  "General  Slocum"  went  aground. 

As  the  fire  had  broken  out  forward  and  as  the  wind 
was  driving  the  flames  straight  aft,  it  has  been  urged 
that  the  pilot  house  had  been  made  untenable  before  the 
vessel  grounded,  and  that  the  tide  drifted  her  to  the  point 
where  she  went  aground. 

Summed  up,  the  men  on  the  vessel  chartered  by 
the  newspaper  found  no  place  in  the  route  taken  by 
the  "Slocum  "  where  the  vessel  could  have  been  earlier 
beached  except  the  sunken  meadows.  That  is,  no  place 
where  she  could  have  slid  her  keel  after  the  captain  had 
made  his  return  to  the  pilot  house. 

STEEP  AND  ROCKY  SHORE. 

The  Long  Island  shore  is  steep  and  rocky  and 
above  the  meadows  on  the  other  side  there  was  no  place 
which  the  newspaper  boat  investigators  could  find  where 
a  vessel  could  have  been  beached  with  any  chance  of 
saving  life. 

South  Brother  Island  was  a  bit  nearer  than  the  North 
Brother,  where  she  finally  went  ashore,  but  the  prepon- 
derance of  evidence  is  that  the  "Slocum"  was  not  under 
control  after  her  sheer  in  toward  the  138th  street  wharf, 
and  from  which  her  captain  says  he  was  warned  away. 

One  of  our  leading  journals  commented  on  the 
disaster  as  follows  : 

"The  announcement  of  Secretary  Cortelyou  that 
he  will  personally  conduct  the  inquiry  into  the  disaster 


108  STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES. 

to  the  steamboat  (  General  Slocum '  will  give  general 
satisfaction.  There  is  certain  to  be  a  thorough  investi- 
gation, as  the  Coroner  will  conduct  a  separate  one.  Such 
a  catastrophe  could  not  happen  without  some  one  being 
at  fault.  There  is  a  disposition  to  blame  the  steamboat 
inspectors,  who  are  under  Secretary  Cortelyou,  but  the}^ 
may  not  be  to  blame.  And  yet  if  the  facts  are  as  repre- 
sented, the  steamboat  owners  and  the  inspectors  are  both 
responsible. 

LIFE   PRESERVERS   ROTTEN 

"  The  assertion  that  the  life  preservers  were  rotten 
is  repeated  so  often,  and  so  few  persons  appear  to  have 
been  saved  by  the  use  of  the  preservers,  that  there  is 
reason  to  believe  the  charge  to  be  true.  If^so  the  inspec- 
tors are  to  blame  and  also  the  steamship  owners.  The 
fire  hose  on  board  the  vessel  was  of  no  advantage  appar- 
ently, and  is  said  to  have  been  decayed  and  leaking.  No 
use  was  made  of  the  lifeboats,  and  much  that  might 
apparently  have  been  done  was  seemingly  neglected. 
Perhaps  there  may  be  some  excuse. 

"With  plenty  of  good  life  preservers,  properly 
adjusted,  there  should  have  been  few  lives  lost  where  the 
steamer  was  beached.  The  crew  was  clearly  not  trained 
for  an  emergency.  That  should  be  made  compulsory 
and  a  Government  officer  should  be  provided  to  inspect 
such  performance  of  duty  on  every  passenger  vessel  of 
the  size  of  the  '  General  Slocum.'  The  laws  are  now 
deficient  in  that  respect.  A  bill  to  provide  a  partial 
remedy  was  passed  by  the  Senate  at  its  last  session,  but 
it  failed  in  Conference  Committee. 

"  There  is  insufficient  legislation  to  regulate  ves- 
sels carrying  such  a  large  number  of  passengers.     This 


STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES.  109 

disaster  might  easily  be  repeated  almost  any  day  in  trie 
vicinity  of  New  York.  Fireproof  paints,  and  even  fire- 
proof wood  will  probably  be  used  on  all  such  vessels  in 
time.  But  it  should  not  be  possible  for  a  steamboat  to  be 
so  quickly  consumed  as  was  the  "  General  Slocum,"  caus- 
ing such  an  enormous  loss  of  life.  Such  casualties  in 
Europe  are  unknown.  Both  on  the  steamboats  and  on 
the  railroads  in  this  country  there  is  a  much  greater 
waste  of  life,  proportionately,  than  in  Europe,  while 
there  should,  if  anything,  be  less.  There  is  too  much 
eagerness  to  save  expense  and  make  greater  profit. 

INSTANCES  OF  GRAND   HEROISM. 

"  As  is  almost  always  the  case  when  a  great  disaster 
occurs,  the  East  River  tragedy  was  attended  by  many 
instances  of  unselfish  heroism.  The  plucky  way  in 
which  the  nurses  and  many  of  the  patients  from  the 
hospital  on  North  Brother  Island  rushed  into  the  sea  and 
fought  with  the  waves  to  save  life  when  the  burning  boat 
was  beached  deserve  to  be  recognized.  The  captain  and 
pilots  of  the  "  General  Slocum  "  in  sticking  to  their  posts 
until  the  craft  reached  shore,  although  the  pilot  house  in 
the  fore  part  of  the  boat  was  threatened  by  the  flames, 
seem  to  have  had  an  adequate  realization  of  their  re- 
sponsibilities. 

"Whether  Captain  Van  Schaick  acted  in  the  wisest 
manner  has  yet  to  be  determined,  but  he  showed  at  any 
rate  that  he  was  not  a  coward.  Some  of  the  crew  are 
said  to  have  become  panic-stricken,  and  no  intelligent 
attempt  to  launch  the  boats  and  life-rafts  seems  to  have 
been  made.  There  is  also  the  charge  that  ghouls  in  the 
shape  of  robbers  made  their  appearance,  and  that  a  yacht 
near  the  scene  failed  to  render  any  assistance. 


no 


STARTLING  TESTIMONY  OF  EYE  WITNESSES. 


"  But  while  certain  of  the  viler  qualities  of  human 
nature  were  in  evidence,  the  zeal  and  bravery  of  the  boat- 
men, nurses  and  hospital  attendants  who  did  their  best 
to  rescue  others  proved  once  more  that  there  is  heroic 
stuff  in  a  pretty  large  proportion  of  mankind. 

"The  pity  of  it  all  is  that  their  efforts  could  do  so 
little,  for  fuller  information  has  swelled  the  number  of 
the  victims  far  beyond  that  given  in  the  first  reports.  If 
the  allegation  is  true  that  Federal  laws  are  insufficient  in 
their  application  to  the  inspection  of  excursion  boats,  the 
lack  is  one  which  should  be  promptly  remedied  when 
Congress  meets  again.  As  a  matter  of  fact  it  is  a  ques- 
tion whether  all  large  craft  used  for  this  purpose  should 
not  be  required  to  be  built  of  steel  or  iron.  Such  vessels 
might  sink,  but  they  would  not  burn." 


CHAPTER   VI. 
FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS, 

ON  Friday  the  region  in  the  vicinity  of  St.  Mark's 
German  Lutheran  Church,  in  East  Sixth  street* 
was  the  scene  of  114  funerals,  representing  the  burial  of 
nearly  200  bodies,  almost  all  those  of  women  and  chil- 
dren. Enormous  crowds  thronged  the  streets  of  the 
quarter,  and  a  large  force  of  police  was  necessary  to  pre- 
vent disorder  and  keep  clear  a  passage  for  the  long  lines 
of  hearses  and  carriages.  Funeral  services  were  held  in 
no  fewer  than  thirty-seven  churches  of  various  denomi- 
nations in  this  section. 

Sixteen  more  bodies  recovered  during  the  day  were 
brought  from  the  scene  of  the  wreck  to  the  temporary 
Morgue  at  the  foot  of  East  Twenty-seventh  street  this 
afternoon.  So  great  was  the  clamor  for  admission  to  the 
pier  that  all  control  of  the  crowd  was  lost,  and  on  the 
entrance  to  the  pier  being  thrown  open  a  rush  took  place, 
during  which  many  persons  were  knocked  down  and 
trampled  upon. 

Twenty-nine  of  the  unidentified  dead  were  buried  on 
Friday  by  the  city  in  the  Lutheran  Cemetery,  leaving  but 
eight  bodies  still  awaiting  identification  in  the  Morgue. 

As  the  fourteen  hearses  carrying  these  twenty-nine 
unknown  victims  of  the  disaster  passed  an  unusually 
large  crowd  stood  respectfully  on  the  sidewalk,  making 
a  line  extending  several  blocks  to  the  pier,  whence  the 
ferry  carried  them  over  to  the  Long  Island  shore.      The 

ill 


112  FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS. 

men  stood  with  bowed  and  uncovered  heads,  and  by  far 
the  greater  portion  of  the  women  and  children  gathered 
along  the  street  knelt.  Even  those  who  are  ordinarily 
phlegmatic  and  undemonstrative  were  affected  by  the 
sorrow  that  all  seemed  to  feel,  and  sobs  shook  the  frames 
of  the  women  while  tears  streamed  down  the  cheeks  of 
the  men.  The  cortege  continued  through  the  streets 
lined  with  mourning  thousands  until  it  became  a  part  of 
the  long  procession  of  funerals  that  were  wending  their 
way  to  the  cemetery. 

One  carriage  only  followed  the  hearses,  carrying 
officers  of  the  Health  Department,  who  were  ordered  to 
make  an  accurate  map  of  the  great  grave  prepared  for  the 
bodies,  so  that  if  any  are  identified  later  by  means  of 
the  clothing,  the  coffin  containing  the  remains  may  be 
readily  found. 

HOME   IN  THE   CEMETERY. 

Out  at  the  beautiful  Lutheran  Cemetery,  that  Gar- 
den of  Sleep,  where  the  dead  will  rest  until  the  Day  of 
Judgment,  160  grave-diggers  had  prepared  little  earthen 
homes,  well  toward  the  southern  slope  of  the  cemetery, 
where  the  winter  sun  shines  lovingly  and  the  summer 
wind  sings  lullabys  of  sorrowing  intonation.  Simple 
were  the  ceremonies  of  burial — a  few  words  from  the 
Bible — a  few  words  of  Scriptural  consolation,  and — a  life 
of  heart-break  for  the  surviving  relatives  and  friends. 

Through  the  streets  of  the  stricken  St.  Mark's 
parish  on  Saturday  passed  the  bodies  of  156  men,  women 
and  children,  victims  of  the  "Slocum"  catastrophe,  on 
their  way  to  graves  in  the  Lutheran  Cemetery,  at  Middle 
Village,  L.  I.  One  hundred  and  twenty-six  of  these 
bodies  came   from  eighty-eight  homes  of  the  neighbor- 


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CORONER  O'GORMAN     WHO    CONDUCTED    A    RIGID    INVESTIGATION 
AS    TO    THE    CAUSE    OF    SUCH    GREAT    LOSS    OF    LIFE. 


POLICEMEN     CARRYING    THE    DEAD    ABOARD    A    RELIEF    BOAT. 


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FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS.  118 

hood,  and  the  Morgue  added  thirty  of  those  whose  names 
in  life  will  never  be  known.     • 

Services,  as  a  rule,  were  most  simple.  Only  a 
prayer,  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  and  the  benediction 
were  used  in  most  cases,  even  where  the  minister  faced 
three  and  even  four  caskets  containing  members  of  one 
family.  It  was  the  general  wish  that  this  should  be  so. 
The  grief  of  the  German  district  does  not  find  outlet  in 
ceremonial  of  an  elaborate  character. 

MORBIDLY  CURIOUS    CROWD. 

Throughout  the  day  streets  in  the  vicinity  of  St. 
Mark's  Church  were  crowded.  Many  of  the  crowd  were 
of  the  morbidly  curious  kind,  but  as  many  more  were 
mourners,  weeping  women  and  children,  and  silent, 
heavy-eyed  men  were  there  to  behold  the  last  of  lifelong 
friends  and  acquaintances.  Evidences  of  mourning  were 
everywhere.  From  almost  ever}'  house,  not  alone  the 
crepe  on  the  door  told  of  grief,  but  black-draped  American 
and  German  flags  and  long  streamers  of  black  and  purple 
and  white  swung  from  windows.  In  the  windows  of  shops 
were  black  bordered  cards  bearing  in  German  and 
English  the  legend  :  "  We  mourn  the  loss  of  our  be- 
loved," or  "We  mourn  our  loss." 

The  police  arrangements  were  perfect.  Earlyin  the 
day  Inspector  Schmittberger,  having  under  him  twenty- 
three  sergeants,  ten  roundsmen  and  four  hundred  police- 
men, divided  his  force  into  squads  of  eleven — ten  men 
and  an  officer — and  there  was  a  squad  for  each  funeral 
during  the  day  to  keep  back  the  crowds  and  to  force 
passageways  for  the  processions  as  they  wound  in  and 
out  of  the  streets. 

But  there  was  no  hard  work  for  them   to  do.     The 

N.Y.  8 


114  FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS. 

crowds  were  most  easily  handled.  It  seemed  as  if  all 
who  came  within  the  borders  of  the  territory  were  trans- 
ferred into  solemn,  awestruck  men,  women  and  children. 
Silently  the  spectators  lined  curbs  and  sidewalks  by  the 
hour  to  see  the  hearses  pass  and  repass.  Only  occasion- 
ally would  a  policeman  have  anything  to  do,  and  that 
would  be  perhaps  when  some  man  or  woman  would  step 
out  from  the  crowd,  muttering  incoherent  words  which 
told  of  evertaxed  nerves.  They  were  easily  soothed  and 
led  away  by  friends.  There  wrere  no  nightsticks  used  by 
the  policemen ;  they  carried  none  by  command  of  the 
inspector. 

FUNERAL  OF  PASTOR'S  WIFE. 

Chief  of  the  funerals  perhaps  was  that  of  Mrs. 
Haas,  wife  of  the  pastor  of  the  little  church  which  had 
suffered  so  much.  The  old  fashioned  parsonage  in 
Seventh  street,  just  back  of  the  church,  was  crowded  at 
one  o'clock  by  friends  and  representatives  among  the 
clergy.  The  floral  decorations  were  profuse,  tokens 
from  ministers  of  every  denomination  of  the  city,  as 
well  as  friends. 

Mr.  Haas,  whose  nervous  condition,  was  such  that 
fears  were  entertained  for  his  recovery,  was  led  into  the 
parlor,  and  a  moment  later  Miss  Emma  Haas,  sister  of 
the  minister,  herself  still  suffering  greatly  from  the 
effects  of  her  experience,  was  carried  down  stairs  on  a 
stretcher  and  placed  beside  the  chair  on  which  her 
brother  sat. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Alexander  Richter,  of  St.  Matthew's 
Church,  Hoboken,  was  in  charge  of  the  services  and 
preached  a  sermon  that  dealt  with  resignation.  The 
Rev.  Dr.  Jacob  Loch,  of  Brooklyn,  read  the  Scriptures, 


FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS.  llfi 

and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Heischmann,  president  of  the  Minis- 
terium,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Hugo  Hoffman  offered  prayers. 
Only  once  were  the  services  interrupted,  and  that 
was  when  a  messenger  called  one  of  the  ministers  pres- 
ent aside,  and  after  a  whispered  consultation  it  was 
announced  to  the  brother  and  sister  already  stricken 
that  bnta  moment  before  a  body  at  the  Morgue  had  been 
identified  as  that  of  Mrs.  Tetamore,  Mrs.  Haas'  sister. 
With  the  authorities  assisting  in  every  way  the  bod}-  was 
at  once  brought  to  the  house,  and  an  hour  later,  when 
the  funeral  procession  started  there  were  two  hearses, 
and  the  sisters  were  buried  together. 

PICKPOCKET  CAUGHT. 

Outside  in  the  other  streets,  before  the  Haas  funeral 
and  afterward,  funeral  services  were  being  conducted  on 
every  hand. 

In  the  crowd  that  assembled  was  Benjamin  Lieber- 
man,  seventeen  years  old,  whom  the  police  knew.  He 
was  charged  with  having  snatched  the  pocketbook  from 
the  hands  of  Airs.  Rosie  Fischer. 

At  the  woman's  scream  the  crowd  turned  and  saw 
her  struggling  with  the  man.  Detective  Ross,  of  Inspec- 
tor Schmittberger's  staff,  was  on  the  man  at  once,  and 
there  was  another  brief  struggle.  Then  Ross  had 
another  problem  confronting  him.  The  crowd  had 
turned  toward  the  prisoner,  with  "Lynch  him!  Kill 
him!" 

Men  struck  and  kicked  at  the  prisoner,  and  one 
man  struck  him  above  the  eye,  inflicting  a  severe  bruise. 
The  screams  of  the  women  and  the  shouts  of  men  could 
be  heard  for  blocks.  Luckily  other  policemen  came  to 
the  aid  of  the  detective  and  his  prisoner. 


116  FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS. 

Not  a  half  hour  later  came  another  shock  to  the 
crowds  and  this  perhaps  was  the  greatest  of  the  day. 
Down  Second  avenue,  moving  slowly,  came  a  procession 
of  fourteen  hearses,  followed  by  one  carriage  only,  con- 
taining two  men.  At  the  head  a  black  hearse  bore  a 
black  casket  of  an  adult  and  at  its  side  a  tiny  white  one. 
At  the  Morgue  the  ticket  had  read :  "  Unidentified 
woman  found  with  child  clasped  in  her  arms." 

Behind  this  came  several  black  hearses  and  then  one 
of  white  in  which  side  by  side  were  three  white  caskets. 
Another  interval  of  black  and  another  white  casket  bear- 
ing two,  a  black  hearse  bearing  two,  another  mother  and 
child,  and  so  on  through  the  fourteen. 

MOURNING  BY  SILENT  CROWD. 

Straight  down  the  avenue  from  the  Morgue  the  pro- 
cession had  come  slowly,  and  just  as  slowly  it  turned 
through  Sixth  street.  If  the  crowd  had  been  silent  before 
it  was  now  almost  immovable.  Only  here  and  there  as 
the  procession  passed  could  be  heard  a  half-stifled  "  Ah  !" 
as  some  woman  or  man  sunk  on  the  pavement  in  prayer 
or  in  a  fit  of  weeping.  Through  Sixth  street  to  First 
avenue  went  the  procession  ;  down  First  avenue  to  Fifth 
street,  and  so  on  east  and  south  to  Delancey  street,  where 
was  the  entrance  to  the  Williamsburg  Bridge.  It  was 
almost  the  climax  of  the  day's  strain,  but  the  police 
anticipated  even  more  distressing  scenes,  for  many  more 
remained  to  be  buried  throughout  the  district. 

In  one  instance,  that  of  the  Ritcher  family  for 
instance,  there  were  six  bodies  awaiting  the  coming  of 
the  hearse.  There  were  three  in  some  other  families, 
four  in  one  instance.  The  crowds  would  be  greater  the 
police  feared  because  of  Sunday,  but  there  would  be  six 


FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS.  117 

hundred  policemen  to  preserve  order  and  prevent  conges- 
tion. 

The  bodies  on  Friday  were  buried  in  the  Lutheran 
Cemetery  at  Middle  Village,  L.  I.,  and  the  way  for  all 
the  processions  was  across  the  new  Williamsburg  Bridge 
From  nine  o'clock  till  five  the  processions  were  almost 
continuous  across  the  structure,  and  the  sight  was  wit- 
nessed by  thousands  of  the  east  side  who  filled  Delancey 
street  and  other  thoroughfares. 

GRAVES   FOR  THE   UNKNOWN. 

Out  at  the  cemetery  during  the  night  one  hundred 
and  fifty  men  had  been  busily  engaged  in  digging 
graves.  For  the  unidentified  dead  and  for  the  poorest,  the 
cemetery  trustees  had  provided  a  plot  250  feet  square,  and 
in  this  the  twenty-nine  bodies  were  buried.  The  others 
were  scattered  all  over  the  cemetery.  There  was  pro- 
fusion of  flowers  everywhere,  for  societies,  churches  and 
individuals  had  been  most  generous.  The  order  at  the 
cemetery  was  perfect.  There  was  no  confusion.  There 
were  no  services  there. 

Five  members  of  one  family  in  Williamsburg  were 
buried  from  the  home  of  William  Blohm,  Williamsburg. 
They  were  Blohm' s  wife,  Anna,  twenty-eight  years  old ; 
his  married  sister,  Mrs.  Annie  Smith,  twenty-four  years 
old,  and  her  two-year-old  daughter,  Mildred,  and  his  two 
sisters,  Margarette  and  Dora  Blohm,  eighteen  and  fifteen 
years  old. 

Another  child  of  Mrs.  Smith,  which  perished  on  the 
ill-fated  steamer,  Beatrice,  two  months  old,  had  not  been 
recovered.  Airs.  Margarette  Blohm,  fifty-three  years, 
the  mother  of  Blohm,  was  the  only  one  of  the  family  on 
the   excursion  to  be  saved.     So  great  was  the  throng  of 


118  FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS. 

mourners  in  and  around  the  House  that  Police  Captain 
Becker,  of  the  Hamburg  avenue  station,  was  obliged  to 
turn  out  the  reserves. 

The  five  bodies,  in  separate  caskets,  were  in  the  front 
room  of  the  Blohm  house.  They  were  taken  in  five 
hearses  to  the  Lutheran  Cemetery.  Before  the  funeral 
cortege  left  the  house  a  Lutheran  minister  officiated  at  a 
brief  service.     Hundreds  followed  to  the  cemetery. 

An  immediate  and  thorough  inspection  by  the  Federal 
authorities  of  all  excursion  boats  plying  about  the  harbor 
of  the  city  was  demanded  by  Mayor  McClellan. 

The  Mayor  further  directed  Police  Commissioner 
McAdoo  to  contract  with  the  Merritt-Chapman  Wrecking 
Company  to  raise  the  hull  of  the  "Slocum"  as  quickly 
as  possible.  This  action  was  to  be  taken  regardless  of 
legal  complications  as  to  whether  the  sunken  hull  of  the 
"Slocum"  was  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Federal  or 
municipal  authorities,  in  order  to  release  the  bodies  of 
victims  still  confined  in  the  wreckage. 

RELIEF  BY  CITY  GOVERNMENT. 

The  Board  of  Aldermen  held  a  special  meeting  and 
authorized  the  Board  of  Estimate  and  Appointment  to 
issue  $50,000  in  bonds  to  meet  the  expenditures  made  by 
the  Commissioners  of  Health,  Police  and  Charities  during 
the  last  few  days  in  assisting  the  survivors  and  relatives 
of  the  victims  to  recover  the  bodies  of  their  dead. 

In  calling  upon  George  B.  Cortelyou,  Secretary  of 
the  Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor,  for  an  inspection 
of  excursion  craft,  the  Mayor  pointed  out  that  the  city 
authorities  were  without  jurisdiction  and  unable,  there- 
fore, to  protect  citizens  from  such  dangers.  In  closing, 
the  Mayor  said  that  anticipating  Secretary  Cortelyou' s 


FUNERALS  ATTENDKI)   BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS.  119 

compliance  with  his  request,  if  a  modification  of  existing 
regulations  should  be  undertaken,  the  experts  of  the  Fire, 
Health  and  Building  departments  of  the  city  would,  if 
desired,  be  placed  at  his  service  to  facilitate  the  work. 

With  regard  to  the  raising  of  the  hull  of  the  "  Gen- 
eral Sloe um  "  the  Mayor  was  acting  at  the  suggestion  of 
Police  Commissioner  McAdoo.  In  his  letter  to  Commis- 
sioner McAdoo,  authorizing  him  to  raise  the  money,  the 
Mayor  said : 

11 1  agree  with  you  that  in  order  to  recover  any  bodies 
that  may  be  therein,  and  to  obtain  any  physical  evidence 
which  may  throw  light  on  the  cause  of  the  disaster,  the 
hull  of  the  "Slocum  "  should  be  raised  without  delay. 

COST  OF  RAISING  WRECK. 

"As  the  underwriters  are  unwilling  to  expend  more 
than  $6, ocx)  for  the  work,  and  as  you  inform  me  it  will 
cost  $12, ocx),  I  hereby  authorize  you  to  contract  with  the 
Merritt-Chapman  Company  to  raise  the  hull  at  an  expense 
not  to  exceed  $12,000,  the  work  to  be  done  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible ;  you  to  take  entire  supervision  of  it." 

With  the  discovery  of  from  thirty  to  fifty  more 
bodies  of  "  Slocum  "  victims  in  a  pocket  nearly  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  from  where  the  boat  was  beached  on  North 
Brother  Island,  it  became  evident  that  the  grewsome 
total  would  be  greatly  enlarged. 

A  diver,  who  renewed  the  search  for  victims,  found 
a  deep  hole  in  the  bed  of  the  river  practically  filled  with 
bodies.  Within  an  hour  after  the  search  was  begun  eight 
bodies  had  been  brought  to  the  surface,  and  when  he  was 
forced  to  abandon  work  for  a  time  because  of  the  swift 
current,  he  stated  that  between  thirty  and  fifty  bodies 
still  remained  in  the  hole. 


120  FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS. 

The  diver  was  searching  along  the  river  bottom  and 
had  reached  a  point  near  the  foot  of  the  sloping  lawn  on 
North  Brother  Island  where  the  bodies  of  the  first  victims 
of  the  tragedy  were  laid  on  Wednesday,  when  he  found 
several  bodies  lying  together,  and  at  first  supposed  there 
were  no  more  than  half  a  dozen  in  the  pile,  but  upon 
removing  several,  he  found  a  great  hole  in  the  river  bed 
literally  packed  with  dead. 

Supervising  Inspector  Robert  S.  Rodie,  of  the  Steam- 
boat Inspection  force,  was  asked  to  send  an  inspector 
to  the  excursion  boat  "  Grand  Republic,"  a  sister  boat  of 
the  "  General  Slocum,"  for  the  purpose  of  testing  the 
life-saving  appliances  on  her,  and  thus  proving,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  public,  both  the  safety  of  the  boat  and  the 
efficiency  of  the  force  of  inspectors.  He  refused  to  grant 
the  request  on  the  grounds  that  red  tape  was  in  the  way 
of  an  immediate  compliance,  and  also  said  that  the  re- 
quest would  not  be  heeded  anyway. 

ORDERED  TO  SAY  NOTHING. 

He  would  not  discuss  the  question  further,  saying 
that  he  was  under  orders  from  Secretary  Cortelyou  to  say  j 
nothing  until  the  investigation   into  the  accident  by  the  I 
Department    of  Commerce    and    Labor   had  been  com- 
pleted. 

It  was  ascertained  that  no  less  than   70  per  cent,  of  J 
the  life  preservers  on  the  "  General  Slocum  "  were  thir-  | 
teen  years  old  ;  that  only  some  four  hundred  of  these  had  j 
ever  been  repaired  ;  that  in  thirteen  years  the  company 
owning  the   "  General  Slocum  "   had  bought  only  1500 
new  life  preservers,  while  5100  life   preservers  were  re- 
quired on  the  two  boats — "  Grand  Republic"  and  "  Gen- 
eral Slocum  "  ;  that  the   life-preservers  on    the  ill-fated 


FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS.  121 

boat  were    passed    only  this    spring  by   the    steamboat 
inspectors. 

What  was  ascertained  in  regard  to  the  Steamboat 
Inspection  Bureau  of  the  Department  of  Commerce  and 
Labor  was  a  revelation.  It  showed  the  bureau  to  be  a 
cumbrous  machine,  bound  into  a  state  of  ponderous  slow- 
ness by  red  tape,  unable  to  do  much,  if  anything,  of  its 
own  inclination  ;  dependent  upon  other  departments  not 
allied  with  it  in  the  first  instance  in  all  cases  ;  at  best  but 
perfunctory  in  the  discharge  of  its  duties  and  possessed 
of  about  all  the  short-comings  and  defects'  that  Govern- 
ment departments  are  heir  to. 

TO   RESTORE    PUBLIC   CONFIDENCE. 

Supervising  Inspector  Rodie  was  asked  first  if  he 
would  consent  to  send  one  of  his  inspectors  to  the  "Grand 
Republic"  to  make  a  public  test  of  the  life-saving  appli- 
ances on  that  steamboat.  It  was  explained  that  the  pur- 
pose of  the  request  was  to  restore  public  confidence,  if 
possible,  in  the  protection  afforded  by  the  Knickerbocker 
Company  for  the  passengers  on  its  boats,  and  in  the  effi- 
ciency of  the  steamboat  inspectors. 

Inspector  Rodie  resented  the  request  and  replied,  in 
part : 

"All  such  applications  must  be  made  in  writing  on  a 
printed  form  to  the  local  Board  of  Inspectors,  and  before 
anything  will  be  done  it  must  be  duly  considered." 

"  In  your  opinion  would  anything  result  from  such 
a  request?"  was  asked. 

"No." 

"  A  citizen,  then,  no  matter  how  grave  his  reasons 
for  desiring  such  an  inspection  of  a  vessel  might  be, 
would  be  unable  to  secure  an  inspection  ?  " 


122  FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS. 

"In  my  opinion,"  replied  Supervising  Inspector 
Rodie,  "  the  board  would  not  act  on  such  a  request.  All 
such  requests  must  be  made  by  the  owners  or  masters  of 
vessels,  and  the  board  does  not  devote  its  time  to  attend- 
I  ing  to  the  wants  of  the  public." 
»  "  Does  not  the  system  afford  the  owners  and  masters 
of  vessels  full  opportunities  to  do  about  as  they  please, 
and  is  not  the  system  arbitrary  and  extremely  faulty  at 
least  ?  "  was  asked. 

"  I  do  not  understand  it  to  be  so." 

NO    INSPECTION   CERTAIN. 

"  Is  the  bureau  in  a  position  to  keep  surveillance 
over  the  craft  of  this  harbor  and  make  inspections  on  its 
own  initiative  regardless  of  the  requests  of  captains  and 
owners  ?" 

"  The  functions  of  this  department  are  executive, 
not  punitive.  The  Collector  of  Customs  notifies  us  of 
much  regarding  vessels,  and  we  get  information  in  other 
ways,  but  no  inspection  may  be  made.  I  am  not  going 
to  discuss  the  law  that  creates  this  bureau.  The  law  and 
the  book  of  rules  governing  the  bureau  will  furnish  all 
necessary  information". 

Mr.  Rodie  produced  copies  of  the  law  and  the  rules, 
and  dismissed  the  subject.  He  was  then  asked  about  the 
jlife  preservers  purchased  by  the  Knickerbocker  Com- 
pany for  the  "  General  Slocum,"  and  said  that  all  he 
knew  was  that  his  inspectors  had  inspected  all  life  pre- 
servers sold  to  that  company.  With  a  view  to  ascertain- 
ing the  names  of  the  inspectors  who  inspected  the  life 
preservers  sold  by  the  manufacturer  who  supplied  the 
Knickerbocker  Company  at  the  time  that  the  company 
made  its  last  purchase  of  300  new  life  belts  and  had  200 


FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS.  128 

old  ones  repaired,  Mr.  Rodie  was  asked  to  open  his  books. 
He  gave  the  names  of  the  inspectors  as  John  F.  Walsh, 
Henry  Lundberg,  Peter  C.  Petrie  and  Cornelins  H. 
Smith.     Mr.  Rodie  was  asked  to  produce  these  men. 

"You  will  have  to  hunt  up  your  own  men,"  he  replied. 

Application  for  interviews  with  these  men  was  made 
at  the  proper  department,  where  an  aged  clerk,  whose 
appearance  was  strongly  suggestive  of  a  pensioner, 
answered: 

"You  wouldn't  be  allowed  to  interview  them  if  they 
were  in.  The  bureau  reserves  the  right  to  make  its  own 
investigation,  and  it  can  do  so  if  it  wants  to,  hey  ?" 

Thus  were  all  avenues  to  a  public  investigation  of 
the  "General  Slocuin"  closed. 

"I  have  absolute  confidence  in  every  inspector  in  this 
bureau,"  said  Mr.  Rodie,  in  conclusion. 

TEST  A  FEW   SAMPLES. 

"In  the  face  of  the  fact  that  rotten  life  preservers  on 
the  "General  Slocum"  were  passed  by  them  as  good?" 
was  asked. 

"Sir,"  he  said,  "I  have." 

In  regard  to  this  particular  section,  the  statements 
of  Supervising  Inspector  Rodie  were  aglow  with  light. 
In  regard  to  the  methods  of  the  inspectors  in  looking 
over  life  preservers  Mr.  Rodie  said: 

"They  select  a  few  samples  promiscuously  from  a 
pile  of  the  material  to  be  inspected  and  test  them  and 
then,  if  these  stand  the  test,  on  the  assurance  of  the 
maker  that  those  in  the  pile  are  all  right,  the  inspector 
stamps  them  as  passed." 

"He  does  not  see,  then,  that  every  one  is  all  right?" 
was  asked. 


124  FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS. 

"No,"  said  Mr.  Rodie,  "He  can't" 

"Why?" 

"Well,  it  would  take  too  much  time  and  too  much 
labor.     The  inspectors  haven't  the  time  to  do  it." 

There  were  two  standpipes  on  the  big  excursion 
steamship,  one  on  the  port  and  one  on  the  starboard  side. 
That  which  was  brought  up  by  Diver  Rice  was  from  the 
port  side. 

Commissioner  McAdoo  ordered  Captain  Divilin, 
chief  wrecker  of  the  Merritt-Chapman  Wrecking  Com- 
pany, to  take  Divers  Greenberg  and  Hine,  who  have  had 
long  experience  with  manipulating  machinery  under 
water,  to  go  down  at  the  earliest  possible  moment  and 
briug  up  the  standpipe  on  the  starboard  side.  If  this 
was  locked  also  the  commissioner  thought  that  he  could 
prove  without  a  doubt  that  the  assertion  that  water  was 
poured  on  the  flames  by  the  crew  was  untrue. 

A  MASS  OF  RAGING  FIRE. 

But  there  was  another  and  a  more  conclusive  way  in 
which  to  establish  the  fact  that  water  was  or  was  not 
used  as  the  "General  Slocuni"  went  up  the  river  a  mass 
of  fire.  In  the  keel  of  the  boat  are  two  seacocks,  one 
of  which  controls  the  flow  of  water  to  the  boilers,  the 
other  to  the  pumps.  The  cocks  were  built  in  the  keel 
on  either  side  of  the  engines.  If  the  divers  found  that 
one  which  admits  the  water  to  the  boiler  was  open,  as  it 
undoubtedly  was,  nothing  whatever  would  be  proved  for 
or  against  the  theory  that  the  crew's  tale  of  fighting  the 
flames  was  not  based  on  facts. 

But  if,  on  the  other  hand,  they  found  that  the  sea- 
cock which  controls  the  flow  of  water  to  the  fire  pumps 
was  locked,  there  could  be  no  doubt  that  no  water  was 


r 


FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS.  L26 

used  to  extinguish  the  fire.  The  account  of  bursting 
hose  and  desperate  struggles  to  make  what  water  was 
obtained  most  effective  would  be  discredited  and  the  in- 
vestigation started  on  another  track.  It  would  mean  also 
either  that  the  engineer  was  deceived  in  his  belief  that 
while  his  assistant  was  standing  by  his  post  and  driving 
the  blazing  boat  ahead  as  fast  as  every  ounce  of  steam 
could  push  her,  he  himself  piled  the  hose,  or  that  he  in 
the  excitement  of  remembrance  of  the  horror  somewhat 
exaggerated  the  real  condition  of  things. 

Life-preservers  were  found  on  five  of  the  bodies 
dragged  from  the  water  off  North  Brother  Island.  These 
bodies,  instead  of  floating  close  to  the  surface,  were  found 
in  the  mud  of  the  river  bottom. 

LIFE   PRESERVERS  A  WEIGHT. 

Coroner  O' Gorman  made  a  careful  examination  of 
the  bodies,  and  declared  that  in  each  case  the  so-called 
"life-preservers"  had  acted  as  a  weight  to  drag  the  wearer 
down. 

Each  of  these  five  life-preservers  was  outwardly  in 
perfect  condition.  The  canvas  was  unbroken  and  the 
straps  were  in  proper  position.  But  the  pulverized  cork 
that  formed  the  filling  of  each  "preserver"  was  water- 
logged and  as  heavy  as  stone. 

There  was  not  a  particle  of  buoyancy  in  any  of  the 
five.  On  the  contrary,  each  was  a  dead  weight,  under 
which  even  a  strong  swimmer  would  speedily  tire. 

Coroner  O'Gorman  made  no  Concealment  of  his 
opinion.  After  a  close  inspection  of  these  life-preservers, 
he  said: 

"They  prove  a  point  that  I  have  assumed  from  the 
first  hour  of  my  work  in  this  appalling  case — namely, 


12(J  FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS. 

that  the  life-preservers  on  board  the   'General  Slocuni 
were  in  reality  life-destroyers. 

"These  exhibits  will  figure  prominently  at  the  com- 
ing inquest.  The  District  Attorney  will  also  be  keenly 
interested  in  them." 

The  startling  fact  that  the  number  of  persons  un- 
accounted for  in  the  destruction  of  the  "General  Slocuni" 
was  much  greater  than  was  generally  believed  was 
brought  to  light  throught  the  effort  of  a  newspaper  to 
verify  the  list  of  the  missing.  It  was  expected  that  the 
reporters  who  were  assigned  to  the  duty  of  making  a 
house  to  house  canvass  for  the  purpose  of  correcting  the 
lists  would  be  able  to  show  a  reduction  of  the  number 
believed  to  have  perished. 

WHOLE  FAMILIES  MISSING. 

That  expectation  was  based  on  the  supposition  that 
many  who,  during  the  early  anxiety  of  friends,  had  been 
reported  as  missing,  had  returned  home  and  that  then 
the  formality  of  reporting  them  as  having  come  back  had 
been  overlooked. 

Just  the  opposite  proved  to  be  correct.  In  many  cases 
whole  families  were  still  missing,  and  had  not  been  men- 
tioned in  the  missing  list  at  all,  and  in  other  cases  in- 
complete reports  had  been  made  were  more  than  one  of  a 
household  had  not  returned. 

This  proved  particularly  true  in  First,  Second, 
Third,  Fourth  and  Seventh  streets,  though  it  applied  in 
a  measure  to  the  entire  locality.  In  several  instances  the 
reporters  had  their  lists  of  missing  one-third  lengthened 
instead  of  reduced,  indicating  that  the  extreme  estimate 
of  the  magnitude  of  the  accident  would  prove  in  the  end 
to  be  correct. 


FUNERALS  ATTENDED   BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS.         127 

Instances  were  found  where  thirty  persons  reported 
missing  had  returned,  but  at  the  same  time  it  was  dis- 
covered that  twenty  missing  persons  had  never  been  re- 
ported, so  that  their  disappearance  was  not  suspected  by 
the  authorities.  It  was  also  found  in  many  instances 
where  it  was  thought  only  one  child  was  missing  in  a 
family  several  were  unaccounted  for. 

SCARCITY  OF  COFFINS. 

Another  sad  feature  revealed  by  the  visitations  was 
.the  discovery  that  because  of  the  great  demand  made 
upon  East  Side  undertakers  the  funerals  were  delayed, 
and  coffins  could  not  be  furnished  fast  enough.  In  one 
of  the  homes  so  distressed  a  funeral  was  set  for  the  after- 
noon. The  mourners  all  collected,  and  were  sitting  in 
the  rooms  adjoining  the  little  parlor,  but  had  to  be  in- 
formed that  the  funeral  could  not  take  place  until  next 
day. 

Something  more  distressing  still  was  revealed.  A 
band  of  thieves  was  working  among  the  distracted  mourn- 
ers. Several  homes  were  robbed,  in  at  least  one  instance 
the  thieves  having  taken  articles  which  were  in  the  room 
in  which  the  body  lay. 

It  was  a  noticeable  fact  that  the  homes  of  the  vic- 
tims of  the  accident  were  generally  neat  and  comfortable, 
typical  in  many  ways  of  the  care  of  the  German  house- 
wives, in  some  instances  now  lying  dead  in  the  rooms 
they  took  such  pride  in  keeping  tidy. 

Willie  Kepple,  n  years  old,  was  believed  to  be 
among  the  missing,  but  he  reached  his  home  late  Friday 
night. 

"As  soon  as  I  hit  the  water."  he  said,  "I  started  to 
swim  out  toward  the   centre  of  the  stream,  but  the  tide 


128  FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS. 

was  so  strong  I  went  back  five  strokes  every  time  I  took 
one,  so  I  made  up  my  mind  that  I  would  not  tire  myself 
out,  so  I  just  turned  over  on  my  back  and  floated.  That's 
what  we  used  to  do  down  at  the  docks.  You  see,  if  a  fel- 
low wants  to  stay  in  the  water  longer  than  some  one  else, 
he  must  just  hold  back  his  strength. 

"So  while  I  was  a  floating  they  were  a-jumping  over 
the  side  of  the  steamer.  Twenty  would  jump  at  once, 
and  right  on  top  of  'em  twenty  more  would  jump.  Then 
there  would  be  a  skirmish  of  grabbing  at  heads  and  arms, 
and  the  fellows  what  could  swim  would  be  pulled  down, 
and  had  to  fight  their  way  up. 

PULLED  OUT  OF  THE  WATER. 

"Two  women  who  got  near  shouted  for  me  to  help 
them,  and  I  tried  to,  but  they  were  too  big,  and  I  had  to 
break  away  to  save  myself.  When  I  was  in  the  water 
about  half  an  hour  they  pulled  me  out  on  a  tugboat  and 
chucked  me  up  on  the  deck.  I  was  so  scared  that  I  might 
get  a  licking  for  going  on  the  excursion  without  being 
let  go  that  I  stayed  up  in  Harlem  and  slept  in  the  park. 
Yesterday  when  I  picked  up  a  newspaper  I  saw  my  name 
among  the  missing,  so  I  thought  I'd  come  home  and  get 
the  licking  instead  of  breaking  my  mother's  heart.  So 
I'm  home,  and  my  mother  only  kissed  me,  and  my  father 
gave  me  half  a  dollar  for  being  a  good  swimmer." 

Coroner  Berry  continued  his  preparations  for  the  in- 
quest into  the  causes  that  led  to  the  sickening  disaster 
on  the  "  General  Slocum." 

The  allegations  made  before  the  Coroner  by  Coakley, 
the  deckhand,  who  definitely  established  where  and  when 
the  fire  originated,  and  by  Second  Mate  Corcoran,  who 
said  Engineer  Conklin  shirked  his  work  and  got  away 


FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS.         129 

"  without  getting  his-  feet  wet,"  produced  a  sensation, 
and  these  two  men  were  to  be  among  the  principal  wit- 
nesses examined  by  the  Coroner. 

The  Coroner  obtained  another  interesting  witness 
in  the  person  of  John  Engleman.  Engleman  said  that 
he  worked  for  years  on  a  New  York,  New  Haven  and 
Hartford  tug,  knew  the  river  thoroughly  and  knew  that 
when  he  first  saw  the  fire  the  "  Slocum  "  was  opposite 
Ninety-second  street.  The  man  said  he  knew  what  to 
expect  when  he  saw  that  the  crew  was  making  no  effort 
to  subdue  the  flames,  so  he  and  his  wife  and  son  jumped 
into  the  river  not  long  after  he  discovered  that  the  boat 
was  on  fire. 

THIN   FIRE   HOSE. 

One  of  the  witnesses  examined  by  Coroner  Berry 
was  William  A.  Ortman,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  ice 
cream  booth.  He  said  he  was  near  the  wheelhouse  when 
the  fire  was  seen.  He  saw  several  of  the  crew  trying  to 
fasten  a  section  of  hose  to  the  stand  pipe,  but  they  had 
to  give  up  the  attempt,  as  the  threads  on  the  hose  were 
so  much  worn  that  when  the  water  was  turned  on  the 
hose  was  thrown  several  feet  away  from  the* stand  pipe. 

Coroner  Berry  obtained  another  piece  of  evidence 
in  the  shape  of  a  five-foot  piece  of  the  fire  hose  used  on 
the  "  Slocum."  It  is  of  thin  canvas,  without  rubber  lin- 
ing, and  experts  say  that  on  the  slightest  pressure 
of  water  from  within  it  would  leak  like  a  sieve. 
The  hose  was  brought  up  by  the  wreckers,  and  within  an 
hour  was  in  the  Coroner's  hands. 

General  Daniel  E.  Sickles,  member  of  the   Board  of 

Aldermen,  sent  the  following  communication  to  President 

Roosevelt  : 
n.v.  9 


130  FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS. 

"  I  have  just  returned  from  a  meeting  of  the  Board 
of  Aldermen,  it  being  in  reference  to  the  awful  calamity 
which  came  to  us  last  week — the  loss  of  the  steamboat 
"General  Slocum,"  in  which  nearly  iooo  of  our  women 
and  children  perished. 

u  This  misfortune  has  touched  every  heart  in  the 
municipality,  and  has  brought  sympathy  to  us  from 
every  part  of  the  worl(J.  Of  course,  you  have  already 
taken  such  steps  in  the  right  direction  as  becomes  your 
office,  but  I  trust  you  will  not  regard  it  amiss  to  receive 
a  suggestion  or  two  from  one  of  the  '  city  fathers.' 

OFFICIALS  CHARGED  WITH  NEGLIGENCE. 

"  There  is  an  impression  here  that  the  Federal  offi- 
cials charged  with  the  duty  of  inspecting  steamboats 
have  been  negligent  and  inefficient,  and  that  they  are 
gravely  at  fault,  in  not  having  done  what  they  might 
have  done  to  avoid  what  has  happened. 

"  Pray  see  that  the  steamboat  inspectors  shall  be 
competent  and  trustworthy,  and  if  further  legislation  be 
necessary  to  provide  safeguards  for  the  future,  ask  Con- 
gress to  provide  for  them. 

"  You  will  agree  with  me,  I  am  sure,  that  a  prompt 
and  thorough  investigation  of  all  the  facts  is  of  prime  im- 
portance,  as   well    to   fix  responsibility  for  the   past  as 
to  provide  a  guarantee  for  the  future. 
"Sincerely  yours, 

"  Daniel  E.  Sickles." 

Inspector  General  Uhler,  of  the  Steamboat  Inspec- 
tion Service,  came  to  New  York  to  take  up  the  investiga- 
tion of  the  "Slocum"  disaster. 

Mr.  Uhler  had  a  long  conference  with  his  subor- 
dinates,    and     a    preliminary     report     made     on    the 


FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS.  181 

disaster  for  the  President's  guidance,  and  then  a 
vigorous  campaign  of  inquiry  made  all  over  the 
country  to  enforce  the  laws  and  prevent  a  repetition  of 
the  "Sloe um"  horror.  Inspector  General  Uhler  was  to 
remain  in  New  York  until  the  inquiry  there  was  com- 
pleted. 

"The  tragedy  has  caused  this  office  to  be  swamped 
with  correspondence,"  said  General  Uhler.  "  Thousands 
of  letters  are  coming  in  from  persons  in  every  part  of  the 
country  who  have  theories  or  inventions  that  they  claim 
will  prevent  or  make  impossible  such  awful  occurrences. 
Inventors  of  life-saving  apparatus,  pumps,  hose,  diving 
belts  and  chemical  fluids  for  rendering  wood  fireproof 
are  writing  here,  demanding  that  their  schemes  be  adop- 
ted by  the  government.  I  do  not  know  whether  any  of 
them  are  useful.  It  is  not  my  province  to  decide.  It 
seems  to  me,  though,  that  the  only  way  to  prevent  such 
horrors  as  that  in  New  York  Harbor  is  to  require  all 
the  boats  to  be  built  fireproof.  Time  and  experiment 
may  prove  that  this  is  possible." 

THICK  WITH   HEARSES  AND   CARRIAGES, 

All  lanes  in  St.  Mark's  parish  led  to  the  cemetery  on 
Sunday.  The  narrow  streets  on  the  East  Side  were  congest- 
ed with  hearses  and  carriages  from  8  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing until  night. 

Swarming  over  the  sidewalks,  men,  women  and 
children  followed  in  the  wake  of  the  solemn  corteges  and 
on  out  to  the  cemetery,  where  thousands  witnessed  the 
last  chapter  in  the  disposition  of  the  dead, 
r  Superintendent  Avenus,  of  the  cemetery,  said  that 
150  persons  in  all  were  buried  there  on  that  day.  All 
were  "Slocum"  victims  from  the  various  boroughs. 


132  FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS. 

Professional  funeral-goers,  shorn  of  sentiment  for 
the  dead  or  sympathy  for  the  stricken  living,  invaded 
St.  Mark's  parish.     Women  were  the  greatest  offenders. 

Seeking  a  "free  ride,"  they  forced  their  way  into  the 
carriages  halted  before  the  houses  of  the  dead,  and  defied 
the  mourners  to  dislodge  them.  Only  when  the  police 
charged  them  were  they  routed. 

Blocking  the  sidewalks  before  the  houses  from 
which  the  dead  were  being  borne,  these  women  brushed 
the  mourners  aside,  taking  their  places  in  the  waiting 
carriages.  At  several  funerals  the  police  surrounded 
the  carriages,  driving  the  crowd  back  with  drawn  clubs, 
and  thus  made  way  for  those  who  were  entitled  by  rela- 
tionship to  occupy  the  seats. 

THOUSANDS  IN  ATTENDANCE. 

Nearly  50,000  persons  jammed  the  cemetery  roads, 
overflowing  on  to  the  lawns  and  mounds,  fighting  for 
vantage  points.  One  woman  fainted  in  the  crush  and 
was  trampled.     Her  arm  was  broken. 

The  exterior  markings  of  mourning  in  the  parish 
began  to  disappear.  A  few  flags  floated,  but  the  crepe 
that  gave  the  district  a  cloak  of  black  following  the  dis- 
aster was  noticeably  absent. 

Little  children  played  half-heartedly  in  the  streets. 
Their  elders  seemed  to  be  endeavoring  to  lay  aside  the 
sorrows  of  the  present  to  better  meet  the  hopes  of  the 
future.  On  every  hand  were  evidences  that  the  cloud  of 
0oom  was  lifting. 

This  was  emphasized  by  the  impressiveness  of  the 
Sunday  morning  service  in  St.  Mark's.  It  was  the  first 
since  the  disaster. 

The  services  at  St.  Mark's  at  all  times  are  simple. 


FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS.  188 

The  interior  of  the  church  suggests  simplicity.  The 
people  who  worship  there  are  simple  people,  practical  in 
life,  moderate  in  mind. 

In  the  morning  a  remnant  of  the  congregation  gath- 
ered to  pay  tribute  to  those  who  had  been  taken  to  their 
Maker.  A  week  before  they  had  gathered  there,  every 
pew  filled,  men,  women  and  children  in  the  full  flush  of 
health  and  happiness,  thrilled  with  the  expectancy  of 
delight  as  the  pastor  announced  the  excursion  that  would 
be  taken  on  the  "  General  Slocum." 

CAME  FROM   STRICKEN   HOMES, 

The  flock  had  been  decimated  by  death.  Every  per- 
son there  came  from  stricken  homes.  Some  pews  were 
empty — the  pews  of  families  the  disaster  had  ex- 
terminated. 

There  were  no  greetings  at  the  door,  no  gossip  in 
the  aisles,  not  even  a  sob  or  a  sigh.  The  fountain  of 
tears  had  run  dry.  Men  who  had  not  been  in  church  for 
years  came  to  take  the  place  of  wives  who  had  gone  to 
their  graves — mothers  who  had  always  taken  the  little 
ones  to  Sunday  school  and  church.  In  many  cases  the 
children  had  also  gone  to  the  grave. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  John  H.  Holstein,  former  pastor  of 
St.  John's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  Brooklyn, 
mounted  the  pulpit.  As  the  service  was  about  to  begin 
the  vestry  door  opened. 

The  congregation  stood  up.  Suppressed  sorrow  was 
released  and  a  pitiful  sob  came  in  unison  from  the  lips  of 
all  as  the  bowed  figure  of  the  pastor,  the  Rev.  George  C. 
F.  Haas,  supported  by  his  brother  and  son,  filled  the 
frame  of  the  door. 

Trembling  with  sobs,  his  hands   and  face  in  band- 


J34  FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS. 

ages,  he  was  led  to  a  seat.  As  lie  stood  in  silent  prayer 
for  the  wife  and  daughter  who  had  been  torn  from  him 
and  the  hundreds  of  his  flock  who  had  gone  to  death,  the 
remnant  of  his  people  remained  standing.  It  was  the 
first  time  the  pastor  had  entered  the  church  since  the 
disaster. 

Extreme  simplicity  marked  the  service.  There  was 
no  sermon  ;  no  music.  Dr.  Holstein  read  a  poem,  "  Who 
Knows  How  Near  Is  My  End."  Then  he  read  in  suc- 
cession the  14th  chapter  of  John,  the  39th  Psalm,  the 
first  epistle  of  St.  Peter,  chapter  5,  verses  6  to  11  ;  the 
seventh  chapter  of  Revelation,  from  the  ninth  verse  to 
the  end. 

PASTOR'S    PATHETIC  FIGURE. 

Prayers  for  the  afflicted  were  then  recited  and  the 
congregation  silently  filed  out  after  the  pathetic  figure 
of  the  pastor  had  been  led  back  to  his  home  through  the 
vestry  door. 

The  undertakers  began  early  in  the  morning  search- 
ing Manhattan,  Brooklyn,  and  even  New  Jersey,  for 
hearses  and  carriages.  A  sufficient  number  could  not  be 
had,  and  many  families  who  had  prepared  for  funerals  in 
the  afternoon  learned  that  the  processions  to  the  grave 
must  start  in  the  morning. 

The  first  cortege  was  started  at  8  o'clock.  The  hearse 
had  to  return  for  others  of  the  dead.  Inspector  Schmitt- 
berger  was  on  hand  with  450  policemen.  Long  before 
noon  a  score  of  funeral  processions  were  vending  their 
way  through  the  East  Side  streets  toward  the  Williams- 
burg bridge. 

There  was  no  music  in  the  van.  Alongside  the 
white  hearses  which  marked  the  funerals  of  children, 


FUNERALS  ATTENDED   BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS.  186 

youthful  pallbearers  marched.  Some  hearses  carried  two 
or  three  little  ones.  And  in  some  of  the  black  hearses, 
on  top  of  the  caskets  of  adults,  could  be  seen  tiny  boxes 
containing  infants.  Frequently  a  white  hearse  followed 
a  black  one  in  the  same  line.  And  occasionally  came  a 
black  hearse  and  several  white  ones.  Thus  the  silent 
processions  indicated  to  the  spectators  the  extent  of  the 
loss  to  those  who  followed  in  the  mourners'  carriages. 

Wreaths  and  flowers  covered  the  coffins.  In  some 
cases  an  open  carriage  filled  with  flowers  led  the  way ; 
again,  a  florist's  wagon  carried  the  offerings.  The  hum- 
blest victim  had  not  been  forgotten. 

GREAT  QUANTITIES    OF  FLOWERS. 

The  cadets  from  Old  St.  Mark's  Church,  on  Second 
avenue,  formed  in  line,  after  Sunday  school,  and,  bearing- 
great  quantities  of  flowers,  marched  through  the  stricken 
district,  distributing  wreaths  to  the  home  of  each  of  the 
victims. 

In  the  afternoon  the  entrance  to  the  Williamsburg 
Bridge  was  jammed  with  carriages.  A  black  line  over 
the  north  drive  marked  the  procession,  and  was  noted  for 
miles  up  and  down  the  river.     It  was  unbroken  all  day. 

It  was  not  until  late  in  the  afternoon  that  the  police 
lost  patience  with  the  "  funeral  ghouls."  These  thought- 
less persons  had  been  more  or  less  -active  all  day,  but  not 
until  the  last  few  funerals  were  making  up  and  the 
chance  of  a  uride"  was  growing  less  did  they  lose  all 
semblance  of  decency. 

The  most  flagrant  offence  was  at  the  funeral  from 
the  home  of  Edward  and  Charles  Schmidt,  in  East  Ninth 
street,  where  the  wife  of  Edward  and  the  mother  of 
Charles  and  the  latter's  wife  and  son,  lay  dead.     More 


136         FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS. 

than  5000  persons  crowded  into  the  block.  The  relatives 
and  friends  of  the  family  had  difficulty  in  gaining  access 
to  the  apartment. 

There  were  three  hearses  at  the  door  and  a  score  of 
carriages.  As  the  pall-bearers  carried  the  three  coffins 
out  of  the  house  a  hundred  women  pressed  forward  to  get 
a  seat  in  the  carriages. 

Sergeant  Fennell  and  twenty  policemen  drove  them 
back,  but  they  rushed  again.  Some  of  them  obtained 
seats,  and  only  relinquished  them  when  threatened  with 
arrest.  As  each  carriage  drove  up  to  the  door  it  was 
surrounded  by  a  score  of  policemen. 

UNBLUSHING  AFFRONTERY. 

"What  do  you  want  to  get  in  these  carriages  for?  " 
Sergeant  Fennell  asked  a  woman  and  her  two  grown-up 
daughters,  whom  he  had  driven  out  for  the  third  time. 

"Oh,  it's  a  nice  day  for  a  ride,"  replied  the  mother, 
unblushingly. 

The  same  trio  was  dislodged  from  a  carriage  later. 
They  had  entered  from  the  off  side  while  the  driver  was 
making  his  way  through  the  crowd. 

The  most  conspicuous  funeral  was  that  of  Mrs. 
Clara  Klein,  wife  of  Edward  Klein,  a  liquor  dealer.  His 
mother  and  two  of  his  children  were  also  lost  on  the  ill- 
fated  steamboat. 

In  Klein's  wine  room,  the  services  were  held.  Under 
a  cloak  of  black  crape  every  vestige  of  the  wine  room 
had  been  obliterated.  Edward  Klein,  Jr.,  seventeen 
years  old,  who  had  his  kneecap  broken  on  the  "Slocum," 
sat  beside  his  mother's  coffin,  propped  in  a  chair.  He 
fainted  during  the  services,  but  when  revived  insisted 
upon  going  to  the  cemetery  and  was  lifted  into  a  car- 


FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS  187 

riage.      Inspector  Schmittberger  led  the  funeral   proces- 
sion to  the  bridge  at  the  head  of  fifty  policemen. 

Mingled  with  the  East  Side  funerals  was  one  that 
came  from  St.  Thomas's  Church,  at  Fifth  avenue  and 
Fifty-third  street.  It  followed  to  the  bridge  in  the  wake 
of  some  for  whom  there  had  been  no  service  at  all.  The 
Lutheran  pastors,  like  the  hearses,  were  not  numerous 
enough  to  go  around.  They  had  been  summoned  from 
every  point  within  reach  of  New  York.  Some  of  them 
conducted  six  and  eight  services. 

FUNERAL  OF  A  CHOIR   BOY. 

The  funerals  of  Mrs.  Elizabeth  C.  Schrumpf,  wife  of 
Jacob  Schrumpf,  a  retired  mounted  policeman,  and  her 
two  sons,  John  Edward  and  William  Walter,  fifteen  and 
seventeen  years  old,  respectively,  were  held  from  their 
home. 

The  youngest  son  had  been  a  choirboy  at  St. 
Thomas's,  and  his  tragic  death  proved  a  hard  blow  to 
his  choirmates.  The  full  choir  sang  at  his  funeral  ser- 
vice in  St.  Thomas's  in  the  afternoon.  His  mother  and 
brother  were  borne  to  the  church  beside  him.  The  three 
hearses  standing  in  front  of  the  church  attracted  the 
regular  Sunday  afternoon  paraders  on  Fifth  avenue, 
many  of  whom  entered  the  church  for  the  services. 

One  chapter  of  the  tragedy  had  its  setting  in  Har- 
lem, at  an  undertaking  establishment.  Mrs.  Dunn  and 
Miss  Irwin  had  been  identified  with  the  Harlem  branch 
of  the  Salvation  Army.  Colonel  Milce  and  Captain 
Green  conducted  the  services  over  their  dead  bodies  in 
the  morning.  The  undertaker's  room  could  not  hold  all 
the  mourners,  who  overflowed  on  to  the  sidewalk,  where 
the  police  kept  them   segregated  from  a  vast  throng  of 


138  FUNERALS  ATTENDED  BY  SOBBING  THOUSANDS. 

curiosity  seekers.  Of  a  party  of  eleven  on  the  excur- 
sion, only  three  survived. 

Miss  Mary  Abendschein  was  buried  from  her  home. 
She  was  assistant  superintendent  of  St.  Mark's  Sunday- 
school,  and  had  been  one  of  the  promoters  of  the  excur- 
sion. It  is  said  she  gave  up  her  life  in  endeavoring  to 
save  some  of  her  youthful  charges.  W.  H.  Pullman, 
treasurer  of  the  parish,  was  buried  from  his  home,  a  few 
doors  away. 

There  was  no  music  at  either  service.  A  member 
of  the  church  said  that  the  choir  had  been  practically 
exterminated. 

The  last  funeral  did  not  leave  the  Manhattan  end 
of  the  bridge  until  dusk. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
THE  PULPITS  RING  WITH  INDIGNATION. 

IN  practically  every  church  in  Greater  New  York  trie 
"Slocuni"  disaster  was  made  the  theme  of  the  Sunday 
morning  or  evening  sermon,  and  the  universal  grief  over 
the  great  loss  of  life  was  expressed,  coupled  in  many  in- 
stances with  outspoken  denunciation  of  the  Knicker- 
bocker Steamboat  Company  and  the  officials  who  were 
charged  with  the  responsibility  of  insuring  perfect  life 
saving  appliances  on  the  ill-fated  steamboat. 

In  accordance  with  the  instructions  of  Bishop  Potter, 
a  special  prayer  for  the  victims  was  said  in  all  the  Epis- 
copal churches. 

There  was  particular  pathos  in  the  message  of 
sympathy  which  was  adopted  by  the  Sunday  school  of 
the  People's  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  East  Sixty- 
first  street.  Children's  Day  was  observed  there  and  by  a 
rising  vote,  the  young  people  of  the  church,  at  the  after- 
noon session,  adopted  resolutions  of  sympathy  for  the 
sister  church  which  was  almost  completely  depopulated 
of  its  Sunday  school  children  by  the  burning  of  the  "Gen- 
eral Slocum." 

Rev.  Dr.  James  Oliver  Wilson,  of  the  Nostrand 
Avenue  Methodist  Church,  Brooklyn,  severely  rebuked 
the  steamboat  company. 

"Sin  did  it,"  said  Dr.  Wilson,  "sin  in  the  individual, 
and  sin  in  the  corporation.  But  for  sin  in  the  Knicker- 
bocker Steamboat  Company,  the  sin  of  greed  and  covet- 

139 


140  THE  PULPITS  RING  WITH    INDIGNATION. 

ousness,  the  boat  would  not  have  been  burned.  Four 
firemen  properly  stationed  with  hose  that  was  not  rotten 
could  have  extinguished  any  fire  that  might  have  broken 
out.  But  these  four  firemen  would  have  cost  the  com- 
pany $10  a  day  and  that  would  have  affected  the  profits 
and  dividends  and  must  not  be  thought  of. 

"  What  if  nine  hundred  souls  do  perish — we  must 
not  imperil  the  dividends.  Thus  the  sin  of  greed  in  the 
company  overreached  itself  and  destroyed  nine  hundred 
lives. 

"  And  hundreds  of  rotton  life  preservers  are  charge- 
able to  the  same  sin. 

A  FEARLESS  CHARGE. 

"  I  charge  this  appalling  disaster,  these  rotton  life- 
preservers  and  rotton  hose  and  lack  of  firemen,  not  to 
God's  account,  but  to  the  Knickerbocker  Steamboat  Com- 
pany. And  if  this  be  not  enough,  then  bring  in  the 
steamboat  inspectors  for  their  shameful  share  in  this 
slaughter  of  the  innocents.  Sin  in  the  corporation,  sin 
in  the  inspectors  and  sin  in  the  cowardly  crew  occasioned 
this  awful  tragedy." 

Rev.  Dr.  John  Lloyd  Lee,  at  the  Westminster  Pres- 
byterian Church  in  West  Twent3^-third  street,  also  made 
the  "Slocuni"  disaster  a  text  for  his  sermon.  Dr.  Lee 
dwelt  especially  upon  two  points — the  responsibility  that 
attaches  to  individuals,  and  the  instances  of  heroic  self- 
sacrifice  that  were  observed  at  the  time  of  the  catastrophe. 

"  With  the  growth  of  corporations,"  said  he,  "there 
is  a  tendency  to  eliminate  the  individuals,  so  that  no  one 
person  can  be  held  responsible  when  something  goes 
wrong.  A  special  effort  should  be  made  to  meet  the 
circumstances  growing  out  of  this  situation,  and  those 


THE  PULPITS  RING  WITH    INDIGNATION.  141 

who  should  see  to  it  that  steamboats  are  in  proper  con- 
dition should  be  held  to  a  strict  accountability." 

St.  James  Lutheran  Church,  at  Seventy-third  street 
and  Madison  avenue,  half  a  score  of  whose  members 
perished  in  the  disaster,  also  extended  sympathy  to  St. 
Mark's  Church  the  pastor,  Rev.  Dr.  J.  B.  Remensnyder, 
who  is  also  president  of  the  Lutheran  Synod  of  Xew 
York,  delivering  a  sermon,  in  the  course  of  which  he  said: 

"  Our  first  thought  in  this  dreadful  calamity  should 
be  for  the  sufferers.  Pity  for  those  who  were  lost,  grati- 
tude to  God  that  they  were  Christian  people,  and  trust 
that  they  were  not  unprepared  for  the  instantaneous  leap 
into  eternity.  Practical  sympathy  and  charity  to  those 
who  survive,  prayers  for  the  orphans  that  God  will  raise 
up  friends  and  helpers  for  them.  Prayers  for  all  that 
their  wounds  may  be  gently  bound  up  and  their  grief 
assuaged  by  a  Heavenly  hand.  And  then  we  should 
take  to  our  heart  this  lesson  of  our  text,  '  Surely  there  is 
but  a  step  between  us  and  death.'  " 

SOLEMN   MEMORIAL  SERVICE. 

In  the  Middle  Dutch  Church,  Second  avenue,  near 
Sixth  street,  from  among  whose  members  or  their  rela- 
tives seventy-three  were  lost  in  the  "  Slocum  "  disaster, 
the  morning's  service  was  made  a  memorial  for  the 
victims. 

Before  attending  the  service  the  pastor,  Rev.  John 
C.  Fagg,  officiated  at  a  number  of  funerals  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, being  assisted  in  the  melancholy  task  by  Rev. 
Alfred  Myers,  of  the  Marble  Collegiate  Church  ;  Rev. 
E.  G.  W.  Meury,  of  the  Knox  Memorial  Church,  and 
Rev.  Edward  Niles,  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  of 
Bush  wick,  L.  I. 


142  THE  PULPITS  RING  WITH   INDIGNATION. 

There  was  no  prelude  on  the  pipe  organ,  and  the 
usual  anthem  by  the  choir  was  omitted,  the  choir  singing 
softly  the  hymn,  "A  Few  More  Years  Shall  Roll." 

Before  beginning  his  sermon  the  pastor  read  the 
names  of  those  of  the  church  who  perished.  From  the 
Sunday  school  six  were  dead  and  five  missing.  From 
the  Industrial  School  of  the  church  ten  were  dead  and 
three  missing.  Forty-one  children  connected  with  the 
school  went  on  the  excursion,  and  of  these  twenty-four 
were  lost. 

Rev.  Mr.  Fagg  delivered  a  sermon  of  touching  sym- 
pathy for  those  who  went  down  in  the  wreck. 

CASE  OF  CRIMINAL  FAULT. 

Rev.  Merle  St.  Croix  Wright,  preaching  at  the 
Lenox  Avenue  Unitarian  Church,  on  "  Interpretations 
of  Providence  in  the  Face  of  Disaster,"  said,  in  part: 

"  It  seems  to  be  an  issue  between  man  and  his 
Maker.  But  this  is  not  entirely  so.  This  has  not  been 
misfortune  only  ;  the  fault  lies  elsewhere.  It  is  fault, 
abominable  fault  of  a  third  party.  Did  the  simple,  inno- 
cent people  who  went  to  their  destruction  have  any  hand 
in  it  ?  Did  God  have  a  hand  in  it  ?  Yes,  He  has  in 
everthing.  But  the  culpability  lies  with  those  who  failed 
of  their  antecedent  duty,  who  slacked  and  skimped  what 
they  should  have  done. 

"  This  thing  was  long  gathering.  It  was  not  the 
work  of  an  instant.  We  can  find  in  this  an  indictment 
in  which  all  are  concerned  to  some  extent,  though  not 
equally.  Society  is  responsible  at  least  through  its 
agents  and  inspectors  in  view  of  the  fact  that  it  was 
necessary  to  be  waked  out  of  its  miserable,  sleepy  negli- 
gence by  an  appalling  horror." 


THE  PULPITS   RING  WITH    INDIGNATION.  1  13 

At  the  Little  Church  Around  the  Corner  Rev.  Dr. 
Houghton  asked  for  prayers  for  the  victims  of  the  dis- 
aster and  their  families.  Rev.  Dr.  C.  D.  Case,  of  the 
Hanson  Place  Baptist  Church,  Brooklyn,  said  during  the 
course  of  a  sermon  on  the  "Slocum"  affair: 

"  There  never  was  a  time  when  so  much  individual 
responsibility  rested  upon  men.  The  complexity  of  civi- 
lization demands  greater  responsibility,  and  every  man 
amounts  to  much  in  a  crisis.  There  never  was  a  time 
when  we  demanded  so  much  unselfishness  as  now. 

ABSENCE  OF  ALL  CONSCIENCE. 

"  And  there  never  was  a  time  when  society  needed  so 
much  conscience  in  business.  We  wonder  at  times 
whether  many  a  corporation  does  not  do  the  least  possible 
and  not  the  most  for  the  good  of  the  people.  If  a  cor- 
poration can  prove  that  it  simply  obeyed  the  law,  it  feels 
morally  free." 

Rev.  Dr.  Huntington,  of  Grace  Church,  in  his  sermon 
on  the  disaster,  said  : 

"  It  has  been  by  such  bitter  experiences  as  this  that 
we  have  learned  of  self-protection  against  the  violence  of 
nature.  These  poor  sufferers  have  not  died  in  vain  if  fol- 
lowing upon  their  dreadful  pains  there  come  better  ship- 
building regulations,  more  rigid  inspection  of  steam 
vessels  and  stricter  discipline  aboard  vessels  carrying 
human  life." 

As  a  result  of  the  loss  of  the  "Slocuni,"  Calvary 
Presbyterian  Church,  Fourth  avenue  and  Twenty-first 
street,  abandoned  the  excursion  planned  for  July  20. 

"  The  first  idea,"  said  Superintendent  Newton,  "was 
of  sympathy  for  the  stricken  congregation  of  St.  Mark's 
Church.     Then   the  committee  felt  unwilling  to  accept 


114  THE  PULPITS  RING  WITH    INDIGNATION. 

the  great  responsibility  involved  in  taking  children  out 
in  steamboats  evidently  not  safe." 

By  direction  of  Archbishop  Farley,  masses  for  all 
those  who  lost  their  lives  on  the  "  Slocnm  "  were  said  in 
all  the  Catholic  Churches  in  the  city.  On  Wednesday  a 
meeting  of  the  vicar-generals  throughout  the  Archdiocese 
was  to  be  held  with  a  view  of  adding  to  the  relief  fund  for 
the  benefit  of  the  victims  of  the  disaster. 

All  day  long  enormous  crowds  thronged  the  Morgue. 
At  one  time  it  was  estimated  that  fully  ten  thousand 
persons  waited  outside  the  building  for  a  chance  to  view 
the  bodies  within.  From  North  Brother  Island  thirty- 
eight  bodies  were  brought  to  the  pier  at  the  end  of  East 
Twenty-sixth  street,  and  many  of  these  were  identified 
before  they  had  been  long  in  the  building. 

SCENE  IN   TEMPORARY  MORGUE. 

Nothing  could  have  given  a  clearer  impression  of 
the  vast  extent  of  the  catastrophe  than  the  scene  in  the 
improvised  Morgue.  Although  four  days  had  elapsed, 
the  stream  of  friends  and  relatives  looking  for  their  dead 
was  almost  as  great  as  on  the  first  days,  while  the  crowd 
of  morbidly  curious  visitors  called  forth  was  greater  than 
has  ever  been  seen  on  an  occasion  of  any  sort  at  the 
Morgue. 

It  was  believed  by  Dr.  Darlington,  of  the  Health 
Board,  that  fully  1,200  lives  were  lost  on  the  "Slocum," 
and  he  feared  that  hundreds  of  these  would  never  be  re- 
covered. He  pointed  out  that  thirty-eight  bodies  brought 
to  the  Morgue  had  fallen  into  a  depression  ;  he  added 
that  hundreds  had  undoubtedly  been  swept  away  by  the 
tide. 

"I  am  certain  that  fully  as  many  bodies   are  strewn 


THE  PULPITS  RING  WITH    INDIGNATION.  14ft 

along  the  bottom  of  the  river,"  he  said.  "So  far  we  have 
recovered  only  those  that  fell  or  were  thrown  into  the 
water  while  the  boat  was  moving  and  that  the  falling  of 
the  hurricane  deck  and  the  breaking  of  the  after  deck 
rail  precipitated  into  the  river  all  in  that  part  of  the 
boat. 

"Many  of  the  women  and  children  who  were  thrown 
into  the  river  while  the  boat  was  rushing  for  Ricker's 
Island,  were  clad  in  heavy  clothes,  and  their  bodies  will 
not  come  to  the  surface  for  several  days  yet.  Until  the 
river  and  Sound  begin  to  give  up  their  dead  v/e  can  have 
no  adequate  idea  of  the  total  loss,  and  even  then  only  a 
comparatively  small  part  of  the  total  number  will  be  re- 
covered. 

GONE,  WITH   NONE  TO  MOURN. 

"It  must  also  be  remembered  that  at  least  a  hundred 
of  those  will  never  be  reported.  They  have  dropped  out 
of  sight  with  none  to  mourn  them  or  to  report  them  as 
missing.  They  are  the  girls  who  have  been  in  this 
country  but  a  short  time  who  were  living  as  domestics, 
occupying  furnished  rooms,  and  with  no  close  personal 
friendships.  In  many  cases  husbands  and  wives  with 
no  children,  living  alone  in  furnished  rooms,  have  also 
disappeared,  and  no  report  has  been  made  of  their  ab- 
sence. " 

Divers  were  finding  bodies  in  all  parts  of  the  wreck, 
and  the  full  extent  of  the  horror  was  just  beginning  to 
be  appreciated. 

The  crowd  at  the  pier  began  to  gather  before  the 
doors  were  opened  at  6  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Toward 
noon  the  report  reached  the  Morgue  that  sixteen  more 
bodies  had  been  recovered  and  the  crowd  waited  outside 

N.Y.  10 


146  THE  PULPITS  RING  WITH    INDIGNATION. 

until  these  bodies  reached  the  pier  at  2  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  and  the  long  procession  again  moved  through 
the  doors  in  the  same  dreary  parade.  Some  waited  until 
nearly  eight  o'clock  when  the  "Fidelity1'  arrived,  bring- 
ing twenty-two  coffined  corpses. 

At  one  time  10,000  gathered  outside  the  Morgue, 
while  at  least  3,000  are  believed  to  have  been  in  the 
building  in  one  body.  Several  of  the  men  who  had  been 
haunting  the  place  had  become  mentally  unbalanced,  and 
it  was  believed  in  their  grief  and  intense  suffering  had 
made  false  identifications,  although  fully  convinced  that 
they  had  at  last  recovered  the  bodies  of  their  lost  ones. 

INSANE  THROUGH  GRIEF. 

Several  affecting  scenes  marked  the  identifications. 
Charles  Timm,  who  went  temporarily  insane  through 
grief,  was  one  of  the  first  at  the  Morgue,  and  when  told 
he  would  have  to  take  his  place  in  line  became  violent 
and  attacked  the  policeman  who  tried  to  keep  him  out. 
The  captain  of  the  precinct,  who  was  personally  in  charge 
of  the  police  on  guard  at  the  Morgue,  recognized  him  as 
a  man  who  had  lost  his  entire  family  and  gave  him  a  card 
admitting  him  to  the  pier  at  any  time  ahead  of  all  others. 
A  policeman  was  also  detailed  to  accompany  him.  He 
identified  among  the  bodies  that  of  his  daughter  Hedwig, 
eleven  years  old,  and  became  frantic  with  grief  when  he 
saw  her.  His  wife  and  two  other  children  were  still  miss- 
ing. 

Gustave  Burfiend,  whose  entire  family  in  a  party 
of  ten  died  in  the  disaster  of  Wednesday,  also  became 
mentally  deranged  while  examining  the  bodies  in  the 
Morgue  and  a  policeman  was  also  detailed  to  accompany 
him. 


THE  PULPITS  RING  WITH    INDIGNATION.  1  17 

Alfonse  Ebeling  also  gave  way  to  his  despair  to  an 
extent  that  left  him  insane  during  the  greater  part  of 
the  day  until  he  found  the  body  of  his  wife  Emma. 
When  he  identified  her  body  from  the  jewelry  taken 
from  it  he  fell  headlong  across  the  coffin  in  a  dead  faint 
and  nearly  an  hour  was  required  to  bring  him  back  to 
consciousness. 

His  screams  when  he  finally  recognized  his  wife 
shocked  a  number  of  women  into  hysteria,  and  the 
Morgue  officials  began  to  realize  that  now  that  the  over- 
strained nerves  of  the  seekers  of  the  dead  had  begun  to 
give  way  their  work  would  be  much  harder  than  before. 

CAPTAIN'S   SWORN   STATEMENT. 

In  the  following  sworn  statement  of  Captain  Wil- 
liam Van  Schaick  he  declares  that  those  in  the  pilot 
house  first  learned  of  the  fire  when  the  "  Slocum  "  was 
half  way  between  the  Sunken  Meadows  buoy  and  North 
Brother  Island.  The  total  distance  is  fourteen  city 
blocks  between  these  points. 

Assistant  Pilot  Weaver  pointed  out  to  the  officials  a 
point  one  city  block  north  of  the  buoy  as  the  place  the 
boat  was  when  the  danger  signal  came. 

To  the  United  States  Local  Inspectors  of  Steam 
Vessels,  Gentlemen  : 

I  hereby  report  that   upon  the  15th  day  of  June,  at 
about  9.33  A.  M.,  I  left  East  Third  street,  East  River,  j, 
with    the    steamer  "General    Slocum,"    of  which   I  am 
master,  bound  for  Locust  Grove,  Long  Island. 

I  am  informed  that  the  ticket  indicator  showed  that 
there  were  982  adult  persons  on  board  the  ''General 
Slocum."  Besides  the  adult  persons  were  four  or  five 
hundred  children,  under  the  age  of  twelve  years. 


148  THE  PULPITS  RING  WITH    INDIGNATION. 

The  "  General  Slocum,"  I  am  informed,  was  char- 
tered b3^  the  St.  Mark's  Lutheran  Church  Society,  and 
that  and  the  Sunday  school  connected  with  the  church, 
and  their  friends  were  aboard. 

Locust  Grove  is  on  Huntington  Bay  about  forty 
miles  from  New  York. 

The  wind  was  southeast,  moderate  breeze  and  a  flood 
tide. 

After  leaving  the  above  pier  the  course  of  the 
"  General  Slocum  "  was  shaped  up  the  East  River  to  the 
westward  of  Blackwell's  Island. 

The  first  and  second  pilot  and  myself  were  in  the 
pilot  house ;  the  mate  was  below,  on  the  main  deck.  All 
the  members  of  the  crew  were  on  board.  The  "  General 
Slocum  "  carries  a  crew  of  twenty-three,  besides  the  two 
police  officers  who  were  on  board,  and  who  usually  attend 
excursions  of  this  kind. 

BOAT  WAS  ON   FIRE. 

Nothing  unusual  occurred  until  the  "  Slocum  "  was 
nearly  half  way  between  the  red  buoy,  upon  the  southerly 
side  of  the  reef  known  as  Sunken  Meadows,  and  North 
Brother  Island,  when  the  mate  informed  me  through  the 
speaking  tube  that  the  boat  was  on  fire. 

At  this  time  the  "Slocum"  was  making  about 
twelve  knots  through  the  water,  and  on  account  of  a 
flood  tide  was  making  probably  fiften  miles  over  the  land. 
Immediately  I  conferred  with  the  two  pilots,  relative  to 
what  course  we  should  pursue  under  the  circumstances. 
As  we  were  heading  for  North  Brother  Island  we  agreed 
that  the  best  and  only  course  to  pursue  was  to  beach  her 
on  the  north  side  of  North  Brother  Island. 

I   gave  orders  to   Mr.  Van  Wart,  the  first  pilot,  to 


THE  PULPITS  RING  WITH    INDIGNATION.  1  19 

hold  his  course,  as  he  was  going  directly  for  the  beach, 
and  I  left  the  pilot  house  to  go  downstairs  and  investi- 
gate the  fire. 

Immediately  upon  receiving  word  through  the  tube 
that  there  was  a  fire  below  the  first  pilot  gave  the  fire 
signal,  summoning  all  the  crew  to  the  regular  stations, 
and  immediately  after  giving  the  fire  signals,  alarm  sig- 
nals also  were  given  by  the  second  pilot,  by  the  whistle 
of  the  "  General  Slocum." 

INTENSE   EXCITEMENT  AND   PANIC. 

On  the  promenade  deck  I  found  the  whole  forward 
part  of  the  " Slocum"  afire,  and  found  it  impossible  to 
go  there  or  any  further  in  that  direction,  toward  the  main 
deck.  There  was  intense  excitement  and  a  great  panic 
among  all  the  passengers,  and  I  saw  that  the  only  course 
that  was  left  was  to  beach  the  boat  as  soon  as  possible, 
in  order  that  the  passengers  might  escape  to  the  shore, 
and  so  went  back  immediately  to  the  pilot  house  to  see 
that  the  boat  was  put  in  the  best  possible  shape  upon  the 
shore  for  the  escape  of  the  passengers. 

When  the  "  General  Slocum  "  reached  a  point  abreast 
of  the  North  Brother  Island  dock  a  slow  bell  was  given 
and  then  a  bell  to  stop,  and  she  grounded  immedi- 
ately after.  Just  to  the  eastward  of  the  North  Brother 
Island  dock  there  is  a  beach,  free  of  any  large  rocks, 
which  would  permit  the  "  Slocum  "  to  get  close  to  the 
shore.     The  "Slocum"  grounded  sideways  to  the   shore. 

At  this  time  the  hurricane  deck  had  fallen  in,  about 
midships,  and  the  whole  boat  was  entirely  ablaze,  with 
the  exception  of  some  distance  from  the  stem  toward  the 
forward  gangway,  as  near  as  I  could  observe. 

The  pilot  house  was  so  hot  it  was  impossible   to  re- 


150  THE  PULPITS  RING  WITH    INDIGNATION. 

main  in  there,  and  the  first  and  second  pilots  jumped  out 
of  the  windows  on  the  starboard  side  and  rushed  forward 
to  the  bow  of  the  boat  on  the  starboard  side  and  jumped 
into  the  water. 

I  jumped  overboard  from  the  hurricane  deck,  on  the 
starboard  side,  through  the  flames  and  got  ashore. 

I  am  informed  that  of  the  crew  one  fireman,  the 
steward,  Michael  McGran,  and  the  barkeeper  were  lost. 

During  the  Spring  the  "  General  Slocum  "  was  put 
in  first-class  condition,  and,  in  my  judgment,  was  in  every 
way  seaworthy  ;  the  bottom  had  been  recaulked,  the  decks 
recaulked,  new  life  preservers  had  been  put  aboard  ;  all 
the  life  preservers  had  been  overhauled  and  put  in  good 
condition.  The  boats  aud  life  rafts  likewise  were  in  good 
condition. 

A  great  many  lives  were  lost,  how  many  it  is  im- 
possible for  me  to  say.  I  am  disabled  at  the  Lebanon 
Hospital,  and  have  been  imable  to  make  any  investiga- 
tion as  to  the  origin  of  the  fire,  or  as  to  the  number  of 
persons  that  have  lost  their  lives. 

I  am  informed  that  immediately  after  the  discovery 
of  the  fire  streams  of  water  were  played  upon  the  fire, 
without  success.  The  fire  hose  upon  the  "  General  Slo- 
cum" was  good,  of  first  quality,  and  some  of  it  was  pur- 
chased this  Spring. 

Whatever  aid  it  is  within  my  power  to  render  to  you 
in    your   investigation    of  this    calamity    I    will  render 

willingly. 

Respectfully  submitted, 
W.  H.  Van  Schaick,    Master. 
Sworn  to  before  me  this  18th  day  of  June,  1904. 

J.  K.  SymmerS, 
Notary  Public,  New  York  County. 


THE  PULPITS   RING  WITH    INDIGNATION.  151 

Edward  Van  Wart,  the  first  pilot  of  the  steamer 
u  General  Slocuni,"  states  that  he  has  read  the  above 
statement  of  Captain  William  H.  Van  Schaick,  and 
knows  of  his  own  knowledge  the  facts  therein  stated  to 
be  true,  except  those  stated  to  have  occurred  during  the 
absence  from  the  pilot  house  of  Captain  Van  Schaick. 

Edward  Van  Wart. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  18th  day  of  June,  1904. 

J,  K.  Symmers, 
Notary  Public,  New  York  County. 

From  the  depths  of  the  water  off  North  Brother 
Island  there  was  drawn  by  a  grappling  hook  a  section  of 
the  upper  railing  of  the  "  General  Slocum,"  thirty  feet  in 
length,  to  which  four  women  were  clinging,  their  fingers 
gripping  the  interlaced  wire  roping  between  the  upper 
and  lower  brace  bars  of  the  rail  proper. 

RAILING  SNAPPED   AND   FELL. 

These  women,  just  before  the  steamer  was  beached, 
were  clinging  to  the  railing,  and  a  sudden  surge  of  the 
crowd,  caused  by  a  spurt  of  flame,  forced  the  railing  to 
bend  outward  and  then  with  a  snap  fall  into  the  water. 

Holding  desperately  to  the  netting,  the  women  were 
carried  down  into  the  water  and  drowned  with  scarcely  a 
struggle.  Survivors  of  the  wreck  have  told  how  in  the 
excitement  of  the  fire  the  upper  railing  of  the  steamer 
gave  way  and  100  were  precipitated  into  the  water. 

The  work  of  the  recovery  of  bodies  commenced  at  6 
o'clock.  In  an  hour  thirteen  bodies  had  been  found.  Of 
the  thirteen  there  was  one  man,  six  women,  two  boys 
three  girls  and  one  baby.  Three  of  these  bodies  were 
found  floating. 


152  THE  PULPITS  RING  WITH    INDIGNATION. 

Locked  in  each  other's  arms  and  telling  a  story 
extremely  pathetic  a  woman  of  thirty  and  a  girl  of  eleven 
years  were  brought  up  to  the  surface  of  the  water  by 
George  Start.  Soon  his  line  became  taut  again  and 
when  he  pulled  it  up  he  found  the  bodies  of  a  boy  nine 
years  old  and  a  girl  of  eight  in  each  other's  arms. 

From  eleven  o'clock  to  four  o'clock  twenty-three 
bodies  were  recovered,  making  a  total  for  Sunday  up  to 
that  hour  of  thirty-six. 

Nine  more  bodies  were  found  by  nightfall,  making 
the  total  for  the  day  forty-five.  Three  bodies  were  found 
in  the  wreck  by  divers.  They  were  the  bodies  of  a 
woman,  a  girl  and  a  boy,  all  burned  beyond  recognition. 
From  their  investigations  the  divers  were  able  to  state 
positively  that  there  were  many  more  bodies  in  the  wreck. 

CROWDED  ON   SHORE  SIDE. 

Nineteen  bodies  were  found  on  the  beach  running 
from  the  island  down  to  the  channel. 

The  finding,  of  the  railing  of  the  boat,  with  bodies 
attached,  so  far  inshore,  pointed  out  the  fact  that  the 
people  had  crowded  on  the  shore  side  of  the  boat.  S.  I. 
Berg,  who  was  working  the  improvised  grapple,  said  that 
when  he  first  saw  the  white  railing  coming  up  he  was 
preparing  to  release  it,  thinking  that  it  was  simply  a 
piece  of  driftwood. 

Just  before  sunset  the  crew  of  the  four-oared  barge 
of  the  Metropolitan  Rowing  Club,  near  Riker's  Island, 
found  a  body.  A  passing  launch  took  the  rowing  boat  in 
tow  and  the  body  in  turn  was  pulled  along  by  a  line  from 
the  boat.  The  strange  procession  attracted  much  atten- 
tion on  the  way  to  North  Brother  Island. 

The  body   was  that  of  a  woman  between  forty  and 


THE  PULPITS  RING  WITH    INDIGNATION.  153 

forty-five  years  of  age.  A  diamond  breastpin  and  four 
rings  were  on  the  body. 

All  day  long  the  river  was  crowded  with  excursion 
steamers,  boats  and  launches  filled  with  curious  people. 

On  Sunday  for  the  first  time  the  big  steamers  passing 
up  the  river  slowed  down  and  the  divers  underneath  the 
water  were  able  to  work  without  danger  to  their  lives. 
William  B.  Leeds'  big  steam  yacht  went  by  at  a  snail's 
pace,  with  flag  lowered  at  half  mast.  Early  in  the  day, 
however,  the  yacht  "Helenita"  went  by  without  any  appar- 
ent slackening  of  speed. 

In  the  basement  of  St.  Mark's  Lutheran  Church, 
since  the  edifice  was  erected  in  1847,  there  has  been  con- 
ducted a  primary  school  and  kindergarten  for  the  young 
children  of  the  parish.  John  Holthusen  has  been  princi- 
pal of  the  school  for  the  last  twenty-seven  years.  He 
taught  the  upper  class,  while  an  assistant  had  charge  of 
the  kindergarten.  Being  fifty-eight  years  old,  he  decided, 
a  few  months  ago,  that  he  would  retire  at  the  end  of  the 
present  school  year.  He  went  on  the  ill-fated  excursion 
of  the  church,  intending  that  the  trip  should  end  his 
career  as  an  official  of  the  parish. 

SCHOOL  BLOTTED  OUT. 

"  There  is  no  need  for  me  to  resign  now,"  said  the 
veteran  schoolmaster  that  night  at  his  home.  "My  school 
is  no  more.  I  had  thirty-one  pupils  on  the  roll  of  the 
upper  class,  and  the  average  attendance  was  about  twenty- 
five.  Nineteen  of  my  boys  and  girls  are  dead.  In  the 
kindergarten  we  had  twenty-six  little  children,  and 
and  nearly  all  of  them  I  perished  in  the  wreck  of  the 
4  General  Slocum.' 

"  The  two  classes  comprised  all   the  young  children 


154  THE  PULPITS  RING  WITH    INDIGNATION. 

of  the  parish,  and  there  are  none  to  take  their  places. 
The  school  is  dead,  and  I  am  afraid  the  chnrch  itself  will 
be  wiped  out." 

A  leading  journal  discussed  the  disaster  as  follows  : 
"  In  hundreds  of  churches  echoes  of  the  '  General 
Slocum '  disaster  will  be  heard.  Many  preachers  will 
make  it  the  basis  of  their  sermons,  while  others  will  be 
quick  to  use  its  obvious  lessons.  In  most  worshiping 
congregations  prayers  will  be  made  for  the  bereaved. 
One  consideration  which  makes  Christian  people  pecu- 
liarly sympathetic  is  that  the  victims  of  the  terrible  acci- 
dent were  representing  a  church  when  overtaken  by  the 
dread  calamity. 

WHY  GOD  PERMITTED  IT. 

"This  horror,  with  its  slaughter  of  innocent  babes, 
prattling  children  and  defenseless  women,  has  stirred 
many  questionings  in  people's  minds.  '  Why  did  God 
permit  such  an  awful  fate  to  befall  this  light-hearted 
company  of  His  friends?  '  men  and  women  are  asked  one 
another.  Some  are  writing  the  same  query  to  news- 
papers. Divine  accountability  is  undoubtedly  troubling 
many.  A  visitation  upon  offenders  against  moral  prin- 
ciples would  be  more  easily  explicable,  but  this  causes  an 
undefined  feeling  of  reproach  against  the  Infinite  to  spring 
up  in  many  hearts.  These  dead  were  the  professed  friends 
and  followers  of  the  Almighty  ;  why,  then,  did  He  not 
guard  them  from  harm  ? 

"The  question  is  one  with  the  great  riddle  of  life. 
Philosophers  have  wrestled  for  centuries  over  the  prob- 
lem of  the  existence  of  evil.  About  the  nearest  they 
have  come  to  the  solution  is  that  human  quality  is  more 
desirable  than  human  comfort.    It  is  better  to  have  a  race 


THE  PULPITS  RING  WITH    INDIGNATION.  155 

of  men  made  strong  by  self-dependence  and  conrageons 
conflict  with  evil  than  to  have  one  composed  of  character- 
less creatures  safe  from  struggle.  Man's  sin  and  man's 
blunders  are  the  price  he  pays  for  his  manhood. 

"  It  seems  a  terrible  thing  that  by  the  incompetence, 
carelessness  or  cowardice  of  a  few  men  the  lives  of  hun- 
dreds should  be  sacrificed.  Yet  only  thus  can  men  learn 
the  lesson  of  responsibility.  Fearful  as  is  the  price  paid 
for  man's  independence,  the  latter  is  worth  the  price. 

HEAD  YIELDS  TO  THE   HEART. 

"But  the  present  concern  is  not  to  find  a  solution  of 
the  vexing  problems  presented  by  life's  great  tragedies. 
This  is  an  hour  when  the  head  yields  to  the  heart.  The 
sorrows  of  the  bereaved  are  not  to  be  philosophized  over, 
but  to  be  comforted.  And  it  is  undeniable  that  the  pres- 
ent calamity  will  have  only  the  effect  of  turning  the 
afflicted  ones  more  trustingly  to  the  consolations  of 
religion. 

' '  The  human  heart,  in  all  its  deepest  experiences, 
instinctively  looks  up  to  the  Power  beyond  itself.  St. 
Mark's  Lutheran  Church,  New  York,  will  be  crowded  with 
men  and  women  whose  search  is  not  for  light  upon  intel- 
lectual perplexities,  but  for  balm  for  bruised  and  bleeding 
spirits.  The  i  Slocum '  disaster  will  not  create  infidels  ; 
on  the  contrary,  it  will  intensify  the  religious  nature  of 
the  people  most  bereaved." 

Many  and  terrible  as  have  been  the  tragedies  attend- 
ing life  at  sea  within  the  limits  of  recorded  history,  there 
have  been  few  exceeding  in  horror  that  of  the  "  General 
Slocum,"  which  shocked  the  entire  country. 

Some  of  the  most  famous  marine  disasters  and  loss 
of  life  are  here  recorded  : 


156  THE  PULPITS  RING  WITH    INDIGNATION. 

Prince  George,  Apr.  13,  1758,  400;  Royal  George, 
Aug.  29,  1782,  600;  Halsewell,  Jan.  6,  1786,  386;  La 
Tribune,  Nov.  16,  1797,  300  ;  Sceptre,  Nov.  5,  1799,  291; 
Abergarenny,  Feb.  6,  1805,  300 ;  Acenas,  Oct.  23,  340; 
Athenian,  Oct.  27,  1806,  374  ;  Minotaur,  Dec.  22,  1810, 
360;  Saldanna,  Dec.  4,  1811,  300;  St.  George,  Defence, 
Hero,  Dec.  24,  1811,  2000;  Seahorse,  Jan.  30,  1816,  365; 
Harpooner,  Nov.  10,  1816,  200;  Lady  Sherbrooke,  Aug. 
19,  1831,  273  ;  Exmouth,  Feb.  19,  1847,  240;  Avenger, 
Dec.  20,  1847,  2005  R°yal  Adelaide,  Mar.  30,  1850,  400; 
Birkenhead,  Feb.  26,  1852,  454 ;  Anne  Jane,  Sept.  29, 
1853,  348  ;  Tayleur,  Jan.  20,  1854,  380 ;  Favourite,  Apr. 
29,  1854,  201;  Lady  Nugent,  May,  1854,400;  City  of 
Glasgow,  summer,  1854,  480;  Arctic,  summer,  1854,  562; 
John,  May  1,  1855,  200 ;  Pacific,  1856,  200  ;  Le  Lyonnais, 
1856,  260 ;  Central  America,  1857,  427  ;  Austria,  Sept. 
13,  1858,  475;  Pomona,  1859,  400;  Royal  Charter,  1859, 
446;  Hungarian,  i860,  206;  Anglo-Saxon,  Apr.  27, 
1863,  237  ;  London,  Jan.  11,  1868,  220;  Cambria,  1870, 
296  ;  Northfleet,  Jan.  22,  1873,  300  ;  Halifax,  1873,  564  ; 
Atlantic,  Apr.  18,  1873,  560;  Ville  de  Houre,  1873,  230; 
Cospatrick,  Dec.  6,  1874,  471  ;  Great  Queensland,  Aug. 
1876,  569  ;  Eurydice,  Mar.  24,  1878,  300  ;  Princess  Alice, 
Sept.  3,  1878,  600;  Victoria,  May  24,  1881,  300;  Teuton, 
Aug.  30,  1881,  200;  Kapunda,  Mar.  29,  1887,  293; 
Shanghai^  Dec.  25,  1890,  300;  City  of  Columbus,  1884, 
100;  Cimbria,  1883,  421;  Utopia,  Mar.  1S91,  564;  Nam- 
chow,  Jan.  14,  1891,  509;  Naronic,  1893,  93;  H.  M.  S. 
Victoria,  June  23,  1893,  400:  Elbe,  Jan.  1895,  3^°  5  La 
Bourgoyne,  July  4,  1898,  550;  Portland,  Nov.  27,  1898, 
129;  Stella,  Mar.  30,  1899,  75;  General  Slocum,June 
15,  1904,  more  than    1000. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

HEROES  SAVE  MANY  LIVES. 

DEEDS  of  heroism  and  devotion  by  the  hundred  fol- 
lowed upon  the  disaster.  Of  the  few  hundred  who 
were  saved  most  owed  their  preservation  to  the  courage 
of  unselfish  men  and  women.  Boys  and  girls  scarcely 
more  than  children  themselves  bore  their  parts  nobly,  as 
witness  the  youthful  apprentice  who  saved  twenty-two 
lives  and  the  nurse  girl  intrusted  with  two  babes  who 
swam  for  the  first  time  in  her  life  and  brought  her 
charges  safely  to  the  shore. 

Hell  Gate  had  a  Jim  Bludso  of  its  own,  who  risked 
his  life  and  all  that  he  had,  a  smoky  little  tug. 

There  were  experienced  pilots  and  captains  who 
went  about  the  work  of  rescue  like  trained  life  savers  ; 
firemen  leaped  into  the  waters  in  their  heavy  clothing 
and  policemen  from  stations  far  and  near  rowed  in  what- 
ever boats  they  could  find  to  help  in  the  work  of  rescue. 
Heroes  in  every  Avalk  of  life  may  be  found  on  the  roll, 
and  the  record  of  the  darkest  day  in  the  histor}-  of  New 
York  harbor  is  brightened  by  golden  letters  which  tell  of 
high  courage  and  supreme  devotion. 

Twenty-two  lives  saved  is  written  opposite  the 
name  of  Charles  Schwartz,  Jr.,  machinist's  apprentice, 
eighteen  years  old.  His  rescues  were  performed,  too, 
with  a  breaking  heart,  for  he  knew  that  while  he  was  aid- 
ing others  his  mother  and  grandmother  were  lying  dead 
on  the  beach  of  North  Brother  Island. 

Schwartz  is  light  of  frame,  yet  his  skill  in  swimming 
has  made  him  well  known  throughout  the  East  Side. 

157 


158  HEROES  SAVE  MANY  LIVES. 

i 

" There  was  not  much  time  to  think,"  said  he,  "and 
as  soon  as  I  saw  what  was  up  I  did  what  I  could.  I  was 
on  the  hurricane  deck  of  the  '  General  Slocum  '  and  when 
I  knew  that  there  was  a  fire  the  first  thing  I  did  was  to 
put  a  life  preserver  around  my  little  brother  Louis,  who 
is  ten  years  old,  and  I  got  him  to  stand  by  me.  Then  I 
|  saw  that  there  was  going  to  be  a  panic  and  I  thought  that 
in  the  water  was  the  best  chance  for  him,  so  I  threw  him 
overboard.     Louis  is  all  right. 

"  I  made  a  trip  down  below  to  see  if  I  could  be  of 
any  help,  but  I  saw  that  the  fire  was  beyond  control  and 
that  nobody  would  work  in  any  kind  of  system.  I  noticed 
that  two  or  three  boats  were  coming,  and  I  backed  up 
against  the  rail  calling  out  that  there  was  a  good  chance 
and  pleading  with  the  passengers  to  keep  cool  and  not 
shove.  The  rail  went,  though,  and  I  tumbled  over  back- 
ward into  the  water. 

LOST   MOTHER  AND  GRANDMOTHER. 

"  The  first  person  that  I  saw  was  Mrs.  Addicks,  who 
keeps  a  candy  store,  and  she  called  me  by  name  and  I 
went  over  and  helped  her  by  keeping  her  chin  above 
water  and  towering  her  a  little.  She  got  to  shore  all 
right  and  was  not  much  hurt.  She  threw  her  arms 
around  my  neck  and  kissed  me.  I  got  into  the  water 
again  and  helped  Miss  Emma  Haas,  the  sister  of  the 
pastor,  until  a  boat  came  to  take  her,  and  then  I  saw  my 
mother  and  grandmother.  They  were  floating  face  down- 
ward. I  got  them  both  ashore  and  helped  the  doctors 
with  them  on  the  lawn.  '  It's  no  use,'  said  the  doctors 
4  we  can't  do  anything  for  your  people,  my  boy.' 

"I  felt  as  though  my  heart  would  break,  and  then 
I  looked  out  upon  the  water  and  saw  that  there  were  yet 


HEROES  SAVE  MANY  LIVES.  159 

men,  women  and  children  who  might  be  saved.  A  man 
came  along  in  a  little  boat  and  I  swam  out  to  him  and 
worked  with  him.  I  went  overboard  whenever  I  could 
and  swam  tip  with  people  and  helped  them  into  the  boat. 
Many  of  them  grabbed  at  me,  but  I  was  able  to  keep  off 
enough  to  prevent  being  dragged  down.  I  felt  hands 
way  down  in  the  water  holding  at  my  feet.  Hands 
caught  me  everywhere,  and  above  me  was  the  fire  raging 
and  roaring.  I  wish  that  I  had  been  stronger  and  could 
have  done  more. 

"  The  stranger  in  the  boat  and  I  brought  four  or  five 
ashore  at  a  time  and  took  them  upon  the  beach.  I  had 
my  clothes  off  and  was  able  to  swim  easily,  for  I  kept  as 
cool  as  I  could  and  saved  my  strength.  I  learned  to 
swim  in  the  public  baths,  and  if  it  had  not  been  for  the 
practice  that  I  got  there  I  would  not  have  been  able  to 
do  anything. 

BOY  SAVED  TWENTY-TWO. 

"We  brought  ashore  many  bodies,  too,  and  not  until 
there  was  no  chance  of  saving  anybody  did  I  quit. 
Counting  those  I  either  got  into  the  boat  or  swam  out 
for  I  saved  twenty-two.  If  I  had  been  a  stronger  fellow 
I  might  have  done  a  good  deal  more,  but  I'm  light.  I 
weigh  only  123  stripped.  Rather  too  light,  don't  you 
think? 

"  Hero  ?  Oh,  I'm  nothing  like  that.  I  happened  to 
have  the  knack  of  swimming  a  little  better  than  some 
other  persons  and  so  I  thought  it  was  my  duty  to  do  the 
best  I  could.  Besides,  I'm  not  thinking  much  of  that 
kind  of  thing  with  my  mother  and  grandmother  lying 
there  in  the  room.     I  did  all    I   could  for  them,  but  the 


100  HEROES  SAVE  MANY  LIVES. 

smoke  must  have  suffocated  them  before  they  were  iu 
the  water. 

Another  medal  which  will  serve  as  a  companion 
piece  to  the  one  received  last  year  will  perhaps  be 
awarded  to  Fireman  Joseph  J.  Mooney,  who  nearly  lost 
Ids  life  in  saving  a  woman. 

Mooney  attracted  the  attention  of  the  public  on 
June  6,  1903,  when  he  received  the  William  L.  Strong- 
gold  medal  for  saving  the  life  of  a  little  girl,  Gertrude 
Schwenneger,  at  a  fire  at  Madison  avenue  and  Sixtieth 
street.  Mayor  low  presented  the  medal  while  the  child 
stood  by  the  side  of  the  gallant  fireman. 

MOONEY'S  VALIANT  EFFORT. 

Mooney  was  transferred  to  the  fireboat  "  Zophar 
Mills,"  and  when  she  steamed  up  into  the  East  River, 
dotted  with  the  drowning,  Mooney  could  not  devote  his 
energies  to  using  lines  and  boat  hooks.  He  went  into 
the  water  and  brought  two  women  to  the  side  of  the 
"Zophar  Mills." 

In  effecting  the  rescue  of  the  third  woman,  who 
weighed  two  hundred  pounds  and  was  all  the  more  un- 
manageable on  account  of  her  heavy,  water-soaked  cloth- 
ing. Mooney  made  a  valiant  effort  to  reach  the  side  of 
the  fireboat.  His  plight  was  noticed  by  the  other  fire- 
men, who  threw  a  rope  to  him.  Mooney  had  strength 
enough  to  hold  it  and  was  drawn  over  the  side  of  the 
vessel. 

Restoratives  were  administered  both  to  the  woman 
and  her  rescuer.  Mooney  was  able  in  the  course  of  a  few 
minutes  to  resume  his  duties,  but  he  did  not  again  ven- 
ture into  the  water.  George  Lawlor,  another  fireman, 
saved  a  woman  by  swimming  after  her.  Only  four  living 


HEROES  SAVE  MANY   LIVES.  1GI 

persons  were  taken  on  board  the  "Zophar  Mills."  There 
were  seventeen  dead  bodies  on  her  deck. 

Firemen  attached  to  Bronx  fire  companies  took  an 
active  part  in  saving  the  drowning,  and  many  cases  were 
reported  of  their  leaping  into  the  water  without  removing 
any  clothing,  so  eager  were  they  to  be  of  assistance. 
Policemen  from  all  stations  aided  in  the  rescue  when  the 
opportunity  offered  and  many  of  them  rowed  out  to  the 
vessel  in  whatever  boats  they  could  obtain. 

Efficient  service  was  rendered  by  the  charities  boat 
the"Massasoit,"of  which  Captain  Frederick  W.  Parkinson 
is  the  commander.  The  captain  was  trained  under  his 
uncle,  Captain  Henry  Rick,  a  veteran  Hell  Gate  pilot. 
Not  only  did  he  direct  the  work  of  rescue  from  his  post, 
where  it  was  so  hot  from  the  flames  of  the  burning  wreck 
that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  remain  there,  but  he 
helped  bring  the  helpless  aboard  when  opportunity 
offered.  Whenever  he  could  leave  the  wheel  he  sat  in  the 
loop  of  rope  swung  over  the  side  of  the  "Massasoit,"  aiding 
in  drawing  up  those  who  were  struggling  in  the  water. 

PLAYED   HOSE   ON   HIM. 

The  captain  speaks  in  terms  of  highest  praise  of  the 
conduct  of  his  crew,  mentioning  especially  his  mate, 
James  J.  Duane,  and  Albert  Rappaport.  Duane  went  out 
in  the  lifeboat  to  within  a  few  feet  of  the  burning  uSlo- 
cum"  and  was  able  to  work  because  the  captain  ordered 
hose  to  be  constantly  played  on  him.  He  brought  in  ten 
persons  in  all.  He  was  in  constant  danger,  owing  to  the 
possibility  of  portions  of  the  burning  superstructure 
falling  upon  him. 

Rappaport  went  over  the  side  of  the  "  Massasoit" 
and  at  great  personal   risk  saved  seven    persons.     He 

N.Y.  11 


102  HEROES  SAVE  MANY  LIVES. 

brought  tlieni  to  the  side  of  the  steamboat  and  they  were 
lifted  aboard  by  the  engineer  and  deck  hands. 

"The  first  one  I  got, "  said  Rappaport,  "  was  a  boy 
who  clung  to  me  after  I  got  back  on  board,  begging  that 
I  would  not  leave  him.  He  said  he  did  not  know  where 
to  go  as  his  mother  was  drowned. 

"  I  was  clad  only  in  underclothes,  and  in  a  struggle 
to  save  another  boy  about  thirteen  years  of  age  my  cloth- 
ing fell  about  my  feet  and  it  was  with  great  difficulty 
that  I  was  able  to  get  within  reach  of  a  heaving  line." 

HER  FIGHT  WITH   FIRE. 

Everywhere  on  the  "Massasoit"  were  the  evidences  of 
her  fight  with  fire.  The  paint  on  the  upper  works  of  the 
vessel  was  sadly  blistered  and  the  windows  of  the  pilot 
house  cracked.  The  "  Massasoit "  saved  in  all  forty 
persons. 

No  account  of  the  work  of  rescue  can  be  complete 
without  the  story  of  the  deeds  done  by  the  modest  cap- 
tain of  the  "Franklin.  Edson."  Not  content  with  directing 
the  efforts  of  his  crew  while  he  stood  in  a  scorching  pilot 
house,  he  went  overboard  after  a  woman  and  nearly  lost 
his  life  in  doing  so.  Henry  Rick  is  his  name,  and  for 
thirty  years  he  has  held  a  pilot's  license.  All  of  that 
time  has  been  spent  in  the  service  of  the  city,  either  in 
the  Health  Department  or  the  Department  of  Charities. 
The  captain  is  now  fifty-eight  years  old,  but  he  looks 
like  a  man  of  forty-five. 

"It  is  difficult  to  tell  what  to  do  in  such  an  emer- 
gency as  that  which  confronted  us  in  the  "Slocum"  dis- 
aster," he  said.  "  I  had  just  left  the  "Edson,"  which  had 
come  in  at  the  Board  of  Health  pier  at  13 2d  street,  when 
I  heard  five  whistles  from  my  boat.   I  was  down  there  in 


HEROES  SAVE  MANY  LIVES.  163 

a  moment,  and  as  I  was  going  across  to  the  "Slocum" 
the  engineer  yelled  np  the  tube  that  he  had  water  in 
three  lines  of  hose.  We  soon  saw  that  water  wasn't 
needed,  but  quick  work  to  save  lives.  Everything  in  the 
way  of  the  life-preservers  we  had  went  overboard  and 
then  the  heaving  lines. 

"Fifty  feet  was  as  near  as  I  thought  it  safe  to  go, 
for  although  the  windows  of  the  pilot  house  were  down 
in  their  frames  I  could  hear  them  cracking  and  the  paint 
was  blistering  on  the  woodwork. 

DIED  AFTER  DRAWN    FROM   WATER. 

"It  was  hard  work  in  many  cases,* for  there  were 
several  large  and  heavy  women,  whose  weight  was  in- 
creased by  their  water-soaked  garments.  We  got  all 
those  who  came  our  way.  Some  may  think  that  we 
ought  to  have  taken  the  rescued  ashore  right  away  for 
medical  attention,  but  I  considered  it  best  to  save  as 
many  as  we  could.  I  think  that  we  got  about  twenty- 
five  in  all.  As  to  how  many  lived,  I  don't  know  yet ; 
ten  I  am  certain  of,  anyway.  Six  died  after  we  got  them 
aboard,  although  we  did  what  we  could  to  revive  them. 
My  crew  did  splendid  work." 

"  How  about  the  woman  for  whom  you  went  over- 
board ?  " 

"She  was  dead  when  I  got  her  aboard,  as  near  as  I 
can  make  out.  Too  bad.  I  was  rather  tired  out  by  the 
time  she  was  landed,  but  I  think  that  she  had  been  suffo- 
cated before  she  got  into  the  water.  What  I  was  able  to 
do  was  no  more  than  any  city  employee  should  gladly 
do.  I  don't  want  any  rewards  or  any  medals.  I  am  too 
old  for  that  kind  of  thing.  Once,  when  I  was  young 
maybe,    I  thought   of  fame,    but    with    the   city's  boats 


164  HEROES  SAVE  MANY  LIVES. 

the  picking  up  of  persons  in  distress  is  part  of  the 
business." 

Many  were  the  expedients  which  quick-witted  res- 
cuers had  to  bring  into  play  in  order  to  save  the  panic- 
stricken  passengers  on  the  "Slocum."  Policeman 
Hubert  C.  Farrell,  who  saved  eight  persons,  is  a  subject 
of  a  report  to  police  headquarters.  He  is  attached  to  the 
Alexander  avenue  station. 

Farrell  and  James  Collins,  a  special  policeman, 
obtained  the  yawl  of  the  schooner  "  Bayliss,"  which  was 
at  the  foot  of  East  137th  street.  Olaf  Jansen  and  Samuel 
Patchen.  the  negro  steward,  went  in  the  boat  with  them 
to  the  burning  wreck.  They  found  several  persons  hang- 
ing to  the  paddle  wheel. 

NEAR  A  FURNACE  OF  FLAME. 

"I  will  never  forget  that  sight,"  said  Farrell,  "for 
above  us  was  a  furnace  of  name.  There  were  passengers 
who  had  been  leaning  against  the  paddle  box  on  the 
upper  part  who  began  to  fall  off  as  the  fire  ate  through 
at  their  backs.  Above  us  was  the  fire,  and  the  heat  was 
so  intense  that  we  could  scarcely  remain  there. 

"  Clinging  to  one  of  the  paddles  I  saw  an  old  man 
whose  head  was  just  above  water.  I  could  see  that  his 
life  was  almost  gone.  On  either  shoulder  was  a  little 
child.  They  were  clinging  to  his  neck.  I  got  out  into 
the  paddle  wheel,  finding  a  footing  in  the  paddles,  and 
.  standing  in  that  way  up  to  my  waist  in  water  I  leaned 
forward  and  first  took  one  child  and  then  the  other  into 
the  boat.  The  old  man  could  not  be  drawn  up  as  I  had 
done  with  the  children.  I  braced  myself  with,  my  feet 
and  grabbed  him  by  the  collar.  Then  with  a  quick 
movement  I  dislodged  his  hands*     He  fought  and  Strug- 


HEROES  SAVE  MANY  LIVES.  165 

gled  with  all  his  feeble  strength,  I  believe  that  he 
thought  I  was  trying  to  drown  him.  Down  he  went 
under  the  water.  Then  I  got  him  up  through  the  wheel 
and  he  was  placed  in  the  boat. 

11  It  was  hotter  about  that  wreck  than  I  ever  believed 
it  possible  to  be." 

Women  on  North  Brother  Island,  matron,  nurses,  a 
telephone  operator,  patients,  helpers,  performed  many 
acts  of  heroism  and  daring.  The  sight  of  helpless  babies 
in  the  stream  nerved  them  with  almost  superhuman 
strength.  Several  who  could  not  swim  at  all  learned  how 
that  day  for  the  first  time,  so  intent  were  they  on  errands 
of  mercy. 

None  took  a  more  active  part  in  the  work  of  rescue 
than  did  Pauline  Pelz,  who  was  in  the  employ  of  Dr. 
Watson,  one  of  the  physicians  on  the  island.  She  di- 
vested herself  of  her  outer  skirt  and  shoes  and  swam  out 
to  the  vessel.  It  seemed  as  if  she  had  the  strength  of 
ten.  She  made  five  trips  into  the  water,  returning  each 
time  with  a  woman  or  a  child.  She  started  to  go  a 
sixth  time,  but  was  so  weak  from  her  exertions  that 
she  found  it  impossible  to  leave  the  beach,  and  was  com- 
pelled to  give  up, 

GIRL  A  GOOD  SWIMMER. 

Miss  Lulu  McGibbon,  a  telephone  operator,  after  she 
had  been  relieved  from  her  duties  in  the  administration 
building  on  the  island  hurried  down  to  the  beach.  She 
swam  out  twice  to  the  vessel  and  brought  back  on  each 
trip  a  child.  One  of  the  babies  was  about  a  year  and  a 
half  old  and  the  other  about  three  years  of  age, 

"I  often  go  bathing  in  the  summer  time  off  the 
island,"  said  she,  "and  the  nurses  are  also  accustomed 


166  HEROES  SAVE  MANY  LIVES. 

to  swimming.  That  gave  us  some  practice  for  such  an 
emergency  as  this," 

Several  of  the  nurses  clad  in  their  white  uniforms 
waded  out  into  the  water  or  assisted  in  placing  ladders 
and  poles  within  reach  of  the  passengers  of  the  "Slocuni," 
and  saved  many  lives. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  instances  of  the  power 
of  devotion  to  duty  over  bodily  fear  is  the  act  of  Louise 
Gailing,  a  nurse  girl  from  Nutley,  N,  J.,  who  was  on  the 
excursion  with  two  babies,  one  two  years  old  and  the 
other  three,  the  daughters  of  Mrs,  Erkling,  of  Hoboken. 

NEVER  SWAM   BEFORE. 

u  I  had  no  thought,"  said  she,  "of  what  might  hap- 
pen to  me,  I  had  never  swum  a  stroke  in  my  life,  and 
I  didn't  know  the  slightest  thing  about  how  I  should 
begin.  I  only  knew  one  thing,  and  that  was  that  I  must 
save  the  babies.  So  I  took  one  in  each  arm  and  jumped 
overboard  and  kicked  out  with  my  feet,  and  held  them 
up  as  best  I  could.  I  did  not  care  whether  I  could  swim 
or  not.  I  only  knew  that  if  I  didn't,  I  would  not  save 
the  children.  I  struggled  on  through  the  water  and  got 
to  the  shore.  I  didn't  know  how,  and  I  guess  I  never 
will,  but  I  saved  the  babies." 

No  story  of  the  "  Slocum  "  disaster  is  complete  with- 
out that  of  the  Unknown  Hero  who  was  everywhere. 
The  roll  of  those  who  did  the  best  they  could  under 
circumstances  which  made  it  impossible  to  do  what  they 
would  is  a  long  one.  Tugboat  men  speak  of  a  man  who 
was  seen  struggling  near  the  shore  of  North  Brother 
Island  with  three  women  clinging  to  him.  He  had  a 
life  preserver,  and  he  was  doing  all  that  he  could  to  keep 
those  who  clung  to  him  afloat.     As  he  was  nearing  the 


HEROES  SAVE  MANY  LIVES.  107 

shore  a  fourth  woman  grabbed  him  and  he  slowly  began 
to  sink  with  his  three  charges. 

" Don't !  "  he  cried.  "Don't.  There  isn't  a  chance 
for  us  if  you  do  that.     I  can't  swim." 

The  woman  increased  her  hold. 

"All  right,"  he  replied,  "we'll  do  the  best  we  can. 
We  will  all  die  together."  They  were  picked  up  and 
brought  to  the  shore. 

SAVED   BY  A  GRIMY  TUG. 

His  act  was  on  a  par  with  the  deeds  of  scores  of  others 
performed  about  the  shores  of  North  Brother  Island  on 
that  day.  There  were  men  who  released  their  hold  on 
floating  wreckage  to  give  women  a  chance,  and  young 
girls  who  calmed  themselves  in  the  frenzy  of  fright  to 
tear  life  preservers  from  their  own  bodies  to  bind  them 
about  babies  whose  cries  touched  their  hearts  in  that 
awful  hour.  Many  a  wharf  rat  whose  name  will  never 
be  known  did  heroic  work,  and  fishermen  who  came  and 
went  in  light  skiffs,  leaving  no  record  of  valorous  deeds, 
will  not  figure  in  the  books  of  those  who  reward  heroism 
with  medals  and  with  praise. 

He  weren't  no  saint — them  engineers 

Is  all  pretty  much  alike. 

Sanctity  is  not  the  strong  card  of  James  L.  Wade, 
owner  and  engineer  of  the  "Wade,"  the  blackest  and  dirt- 
iest little  tug  in  all  the  river,  yet  nearly  a  hundred  per- 
sons, and  more,  would  hail  this  man  of  grime,  in  overalls 
once  blue,  as  an  angel  of  light. 

He  ran  the  savings  of  ten  years,  represented  in  his 
tug,  ashore  and  used  her  as  a  bridge  for  the  "Slocum's" 
passengers.  * 

"  Damn  the  tug  ! "  said  he.      "  Let  her  burn  !  "     For, 


JG8  HEROES  SAVE  MANY  LIVES. 

like  Jim  Bludso,  Wade  does  not  stop  to  pick  language. 
"  Let  her  stay  where  she  is.  What's  a  tugboat  to  a 
human  life  ?  " 

Wade  goes  up  and  down  the  East  River  something 
after  the  manner  of  a  cruising  cabman  on  land,  doing 
odd  maritime  jobs  here  and  there.  He  was  at  North 
Brother  Island  when  he  saw  the  "General  Slocum"  draw 
into  view  with  a  mass  of  fire  shooting  from  her  forward 
deck.  He  dived  into  the  engine  room  and  told  the  pilot 
of  the  little  tug,  Captain  Fitzgerald,  to  make  for  the 
burning  steamboat. 

BRIDGE  THAT  SAVED   MANY. 

On  the  deck  were  Edward  Carroll,  better  known  as 
"Reddy,"  and  Antonio  Marcetti,  otherwise  "Tony."  The 
"Wade"  went  to  the  starboard  side  of  the  "  Slocum,"  get- 
ting in  between  the  shore  and  the  steamer.  Her  propel- 
ler was  fouled  by  a  rope,  and  manoeuvring  was  out  of 
the  question.  Wade  ordered  that  she  be  run  aground, 
and  over  this  bridge  seventy-eight  persons  found  their 
way  to  safety.  The  heat  blistered  the  sides  of  the  deck- 
house of  the  tug  and  only  by  throwing  water  over  the 
woodwork  occasionally  with  buckets,  was  the  pilot  house 
saved  from  burning. 

Carroll  and  Marcetti  spent  little  time  aboard,  for  they 

\  were  in  the  water  most  of  the  time.     Carroll  saved  three 

*old  women,     and  Marcetti  a  girl.     The   Irishman    was 

almost  exhausted  in  bringing  the  third  woman  to  the 

side  of  the  tug,  but  he  was  finally  pulled  on  board  by  the 

captain  and  the  engineer. 

Not  being  able  to  use  his  lifeboat  Wade  presented  it 
to  the  first  volunteer  life  saver  he  saw. 

"That's  a  small  matter,"  he  said.     "What  does  a 


HEROES  SAVE  MANY  LIVES.  L69 

man  care  for  a  little  thing  like  a  lifeboat  ?  Anybody 
who  needed  it  was  welcome.  I  didn't  expect  to  be  walk- 
ing about  on  this  ttig.     I  think  that  I'm  lucky." 

Several  well  known  lumber  merchants  were  discuss- 
ing the  raising  of  funds  to  repair  the  "Wade."  Two 
women  who  were  saved  through  the  gallantry  of  Mr. 
Wade,  Mrs.  Elusca,  and  Mrs.  Anna  Sackman,  wrote  that 
they  would  like  to  see  a  fund  started  to  replace  the  tug's 
lifeboat,  life  preservers  and  other  fittings  which  they  un- 
derstood were  lost. 

They  declared  the  owner  remained  at  his  post  until 
the  tug  was  nearly  on  fire  and  that  his  own  arms  were 
severely  scorched. 

Captain  Fitzgerald,  who  was  in  the  pilot  house  of  the 
"Wade,"  also  did  effective  work  at  the  Hoboken  fire.  The 
"Wade"  was  pulled  off  by  the  tug  "Golden  Rod"  while 
the  streams  of  water  played  by  the  fireboat  "Zophar 
Mills"  kept  her  from  being  destroyed. 

HE   COURTED  DEATH. 

Brief  was  the  official  record  of  John  A.  Scheuning,  a 
policeman  attached  to  the  Alexander  avenue  station,  who 
saved  the  lives  of  five.  There  is  time,  though,  to  go  be- 
yond the  plain  tale  of  the  blotter,  aud  to  relate  how  he 
risked  his  life  and  courted  death  under  the  lee  of  the 
burning  "Slocum." 

Scheuning  saw  the  burning  steamboat  while  on  duty 
near  the  water  front  at  138th  street.  He  commanded  a 
soda  water  wagon,  in  which  he  was  driven  to  the  foot  of 
East  141st  street,  where  he  cut  out  a  boat  and  pushed 
into  the  stream.  The  "Slocum"  was  swinging  off  North 
Brother  Island  a  floating  Tophet,  and  fanned  by  the  off- 
shore wind  the  flames  swept  far  out  from  the  port  side. 


170  HEROES  SAVE  MANY  LIVES. 

Scheuning  rowed  directly  toward  the  side  of  trie 
steamer,  although  the  tugboatmen  called  to  hirn  that  he 
was  going  to  his  death.  The  heat  was  so  intense  when 
he  came  within  a  hundred  feet  of  the  vessel  that  he  felt  the 
skin  blister  on  his  face  and  hands.  Burning  brands  fell 
about  him,  and  dead  ahead  towered  the  paddle  box,  from 
which  the  flames  were  bursting  as  out  of  the  top  of  a 
blast  furnace. 

Scheuning  stopped  for  a  moment,  and  removing  his 
blouse  soaked  it  in  the  water.  He  threw  the  garment 
about  his  neck  and  shoulders,  thus  gaining  protection 
from  the  heat.  At  the  same  time  Scheuning  kept  his 
arms  closely  to  his  side  as  he  rowed,  so  as  to  protect  his 
body  as  much  as  possible  from  the  glow  of  the  fire.  Above 
him  the  flames  were  swept  out  in  a  sheet  which  at  any 
time  might  have  been  turned  downward  by  a  change  of 
the  wind,  while  the  falling  of  blazing  timbers  were  re- 
minders that  at  any  moment  the  structure  above  might 
crash  down  upon  him. 

VOICES  CALL  FOR  HELP. 

"  There  were  five  faces  under  that  paddle  box,"  said 
Scheuning  in  telling  his  story,  "  that  told  me  that  it  was 
my  duty  to  go  in  there.  I  heard  voices  calling  out,  'Mr. 
Policeman,  save  us!'  and  I  rowed  riglt  up  to  it,  al- 
though I  felt  my  back  blistering  and  had  to  stop  and 
throw  water  over  my  back  to  keep  from  scorching. 
Once  I  got  right  up  there,  though,  the  heat  wasn't  so 
bad,  although  the  way  things  were  falling  showed  there 
was  no  time  to  be  lost." 

Scheuning  ran  the  small  boat  alongside  the  paddle 
box,  which  was  well  out  of  the  water,  and  he  was  able  by 
placing  one  foot  in  the  boat  and  the  other  on  a  paddle  to 


HEROES  SAVE  MANY  LIVES.  171 

lift  into  the  skiff  five  persons.  They  grasped  the  sides 
of  the  small  boat  at  first  and  nearly  swamped  it,  but 
Scheuning,  by  skilful  balancing,  was  able  to  save  three 
women  and  two  men,  whom  he  rowed  in  safety  to  a  barge. 
Scheuning,  "in  the  line  of  police  duty,"  then  brought 
ashore  thirteen  bodies  and  devoted  the  rest  of  the  day  to 
assisting  the  Coroner  in  tagging  171  of  the  dead.  His 
exploit  of  going  so  close  to  the  u  Slocuin  "  was  the  cause 
of  others  venturing  to  the  aid  of  the  distressed,  despite 
the  intense  heat. 

ONE   OF  THE   CREW  A  HERO. 

Those  who  have  seen  many  brave  deeds  performed 
in  the  waters  of  New  York  Harbor  say  that  the  courage 
and  devotion  of  at  least  one  member  of  the  crew  of  the 
"General  Slocum  "  exceeded  anything  which  they  ever 
beheld.  William  R.  Trembly  was  his  name,  and  for  a 
few  weeks  he  had  been  a  deckhand  on  the  vessel.  He 
was  not  accustomed  to  the  water  and  he  had  back  of  him 
no  experience  in  the  harbor,  such  as  had  the  veterans 
of  the  Hell  Gate  fleet  that  did  such  efficient  service. 

"  I've  seen  many  courageous  and  devoted  acts  done 
in  my  time,"  said  Captain  Parkinson,  of  the  "  Mas- 
sasoit,"  in  speaking  of  the  conduct  of  the  deckhand  of 
the  "Slocum,"  "but  the  way  that  man  acted  should 
entitle  him  to  all  the  medals  which  may  be  coming 
his  way.  The  first  thing  that  I  saw  was  his  leap  from 
the  side  of  the  '  Slocum '  right  out  of  a  nest  of  flames. 
He  swam  ashore  again  and  again  with  women,  and  the 
way  he  saved  his  strength  and  the  cool  manner  in 
which  he  acted  were  such  as  to  win  the  admiration  of 
every  man  who  say  him. 

"There  wasn't  much  time   either  to  watch  others. 


172  HEROES  SAVE  MANY  LIVES. 

His  last  exploit  was  to  bring  in  three  children  at  a  time. 
How  he  did  it  I'm  snre  I  don't  know.  He  had  two  in  his 
arms  and  a  woman  lowered  a  third  to  him, 

"He  swam  with  one  child  in  his  teeth,  steadying 
himself  and  gowing  slowly  to  save  his  strength.  I  could 
see  that  he  was  pretty  nearly  gone,  and  when  I  got 
another  glimpse  of  him  he  was  coming  into  the  shore. 

FELL  LIKE  A  DEAD   MAN. 

"  A  woman  clutched  at  him  as  he  went  past  and  he 
seemed  to  be  saying  something  to  her.  He  got  the  three 
children  to  safety  and  then  I  saw  him  staggering  on  the 
shore.  The  woman  was  still  pleading.  He  was  un- 
steady on  his  pins  by  that  time  and  he  barely  had  the 
strength  to  stand  ;  but  he  was  still  game.  He  started 
toward  her ;  then  his  hands  went  up  and  he  fell  over 
backward  on  the  beach  like  a  dead  man.  He  had  worked 
to  the  very  limit.  I  saw  him  afterward  stretched  out 
on  the  lawn  on  the  North  Brother  Island  and  he  was 
about  as  near  a  corpse  as  a  man  can  well  be  and  be 
alive." 

Trembly  was  then  taken  later  to  the  Alexander  ave- 
nue police  station,  where  he  told  his  story  and  then  went  to 
sleep  on  the  station  house  floor. 

He  said  that  he  heard  the  first  outcry  of  fire  and  did 
all  that  he  could  to  allay  the  panic.  Finally,  seeing  that 
nothing  more  could  be  done,  he  placed  life  preservers 
about  two  children  and  started  with  them  to  the  shore. 
A  woman  on  the  upper  deck  tore  her  skirts  into  strips 
and  with  the  rope  which  she  hastily  improvised  lowered 
her  child  to  him,  begging  that  he  take  it  to  shore. 

Children  unable  to  reach  life  preservers  above  their 
heads  and  in  many  cases  left  without  any  older  person 


HEROES  SAVE  MANY  LIVES.  173 

near  them  were  active  in  helping  not  only  those  younger 
than  themselves  but  even  went  to  the  aid  of  their  elders. 

There,  for  instance,  was  Peter  Wingerter,  a  boy  of 
thirteen.  He  found  on  the  upper  deck  four  babies  which 
had  been  deserted  by  their  parents.  He  remained  on 
board  the  boat,  although  scores  were  dropping  into  the 
water  all  about  him,  and  with  his  own  hands  passed  the 
two  babies  to  the  deck  of  a  tugboat. 

Then,  with  two  infants  under  his  left  arm  the  boy 
slid  down  a  stanchion  to  the  main  deck,  where  he  passed 
his  charges  to  men  in  a  rowboat.  A  woman  threw  her 
baby  into  the  stream  and  the  boy  dived  overboard  after 
it.  As  he  was  going  under  the  water  a  man  who  sup- 
posed that  the  boy  was  drowning  pulled  him  out.  Win- 
gerter fought  with  his  rescuer,  who  restrained  him  from 
again  risking  his  life. 

SAVED  THE   LITTLE  ONE. 

Then  there  is  William  McCaffrey,  fourteen  years 
old,  who  tossed  a  dazed  girl  aboard  a  tug  and  swam  to  the 
shore  himself.  On  reaching  North  Brother  Island  he 
went  out  again  into  the  water  and  rescued  three  exhausted 
men  who  were  about  to  drown,  in  the  shallows. 

Among  children  who  are  mentioned  on  the  roll  of 
honor  which  illumines  a  dark  day  of  tragedy  is  Arthur 
Link.  On  the  upper  deck  a  frightened  woman  was  about 
to  leap  into  the  water  with  her  baby. 

11  If  you  can't  swim,"  said  he,  "give  me  that  baby." 
She  passed  the  child  over  to  him  and  j  urnped. 

The  boy  placed  the  child  on  a  camp  chair,  which  he 
braced  against  a  stanchion  to  keep  the  infant  from  being 
crushed.  When  he  felt  that  the  deck  beneath  his  feet 
was  giving  way  he  tucked  the  baby  under  his  arm  and 


174  HEROES  SAVE  MANY  LIVES. 

struck  out  for  the  shore,  keeping  himself  afloat  with  one 
hand. 

His  burden  was  too  much  for  his  strength  and  he 
was  about  to  go  under  when  a  man  in  a  skiff  relieved  him 
of  the  child. 

"Don't  mind  me,"  called  the  boy.  "  I  can  keep  up 
all  right.     Take  care  of  the  baby  !  " 

Two  policemen  of  the  Harbor  Squad,  Van  Tassell 
and  Kelk,  who  were  trained  under  Elbert  O.  Smith,  the 
present  inspector,  who  was  formerly  in  command  of  the 
marine  department  of  the  police  force,  did  valorous  work 
on  the  day  of  the  "  Slocum  "  disaster.  They  had  been 
detailed  to  look  after  the  safety  of  passengers,  and 
although  the  conditions  were  beyond  all  control,  they 
acted  as  though  they  were  in  command. 

PICKED  UP  UNCONSCIOUS. 

Van  Tassell  was  disabled,  and  Kelk  was  among  the 
last  to  leave  the  doomed  vessel.  The  two  men  stood  on 
the  second  deck.  They  are  strong,  and  their  muscles 
were  well  trained  by  rowing  in  the  harbor.  From  their 
position  they  threw  women  and  children  into  the  tugs 
which  braved  the  danger  and  the  blistering  heat.  Van 
Tassell  was  knocked  unconscious  when  the  hurricane 
deck  fell,  for  the  body  of  a  woman  struck  him  on  the  head. 

He  was  picked  lip  unconscious  from  the  stream  by  a 
mason  employed  on  North  Brother  Island.  As  soon  as  * 
he  had  recovered  the  use  of  his  senses  Van  Tassell,  who 
was  in  great  pain  owing  to  the  bruising  of  the  muscles  of 
neck  and  head,  returned  to  the  work  of  rescue,  and  later 
helped  in  bringing  in  the  dead.  Kelk  remained  on  board 
the  "  Slocum,"  although  his  hair  was  singed  and  his 
mustache  was  nearly  burned  from  his  lip. 


HEROES  SAVE  MANY   LIVES.  176 

He  lost  no  opportunity  to  give  aid.  He  placed  life- 
preservers  upon  children  and  threw  them  into  the  flood  ; 
he  directed  the  work  of  tugboatmen  who  approached  the 
vessel  and  kept  back  the  panic-stricken  who  tried  to  jump 
into  the  water  when  boats  which  were  approaching  to 
their  aid  were  only  a  few  feet  away.  Though  the  flames 
burned  his  clothing  and  blistered  his  skin,  Kelk  was  as 
calm  as  though  he  were  on  parade. 

"As  I  was  standing  there, 7  said  Kelk,  in  speaking  of 
the  experience  of  the  day,  "  a  woman  came  rushing 
to  me  with  her  skirts  in  a  blaze.  There  was  a  baby  car- 
riage standing  near,  in  which  there  was  a  heavy  blanket. 
I  seized  the  blanket,  threw  it  arountr-the  woman  and 
rolled  heron  the  deck  until  the  flames  were  extinguished. 
She  jumped  overboard  then,  and  whether  she  was  saved 
or  not  I  do  not  know."  That  was  only  one  incident  which 
shows  how  quickly  things  were  done  on  that  day. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
STARTLING  FACTS  AT  THE  INQUEST. 

UNDER  the  guidance  of  an  unlicensed  first  mate  with 
a  very  hazy  notion  of  his  duties,  members  of  the  crew 
of  the  steamer  "General  Slocum  "  admitted  hesitatingly 
that  they  had  proved  almost  useless  in  the  great  disaster. 
They  insisted  that  there  had  not  been  a  fire  drill  on  the 
boat  this  season  and  agreed  that  they  had  been  unable  to 
use  the  hose  after  the  flames  were  discovered. 

There  was  some  conflict  about  the  reason  that  the 
hose  would  not  work.  Some  of  the  men  said  it  had  burst 
when  the  water  got  to  the  kinks,  but  an  explanation 
which  was  made  for  the  first  time  in  public  was  that  no 
water  at  all  could  reach  the  fire  hose  on  account  of  a  false 
washer  of  solid  rubber  or  leather  placed  in  the  standpipe 
that  supplied  it.  The  small  rubber  hose  used  for  cleans- 
ing the  decks  was  usually  attached  to  hydrants  on  piers, 
but  when  this  was  not  convenient  salt  water  was  obtained 
from  the  standpipes. 

To  prevent  any  of  this  water  from  reaching  the  can- 
vas fire  hose  and  rotting  it  the  washer  had  been  inserted. 
To  get  water  into  the  fire  hose  would  have  involved  un- 
fastening it  first  and  removing  the  washer,  an  idea  that 
did  not  seem  to  enter  the  heads  of  any  of  the  men. 

These  and  other  revelations  were  made  at  the  inquest 
begun  before  Coroner  Joseph  I.  Berry  and  a  jury.  Edward 
Flanagan,  the  mate,  seemed  dazed  when  he  faced  the 
crowd  that  had  gathered,  and  he  constantly  avoided 
answering  direct  testimony  by  pleading  that  he  did  not 
remember.  Assistant  District  Attorney  Francis  P.  Gar- 
van,  who  examined  him  at  length,  wrung  from  him  many 

176 


STARTLING  FACTS  AT  THE  INQUEST.  177 

facts  that  would  serve  as  a  basis  for  future  proceedings. 

Flanagan  was  mate  of  the  "  General  Slocum"  at  the 
time  of  the  official  visit  of  the  United  States  inspectors 
the  month  before.  The  inspection  of  the  life-preservers, 
so  far  as  it  came  under  his  personal  observation,  consisted 
of  walking  down  the  line  and  poking  the  canvas  covers 
here  and  there  with  a  cane  or  ruler.  From  ten  to  twenty 
of  the  preservers  subjected  to  this  test  broke,  and  the 
inspector  condemned  them  and  directed  that  they  be 
removed  forthwith.  • 

Flanagan  squirmed  and  faltered,  but  concluded  by 
announcing  that  all  the  life-preservers  that  he  had  seen 
on  the  boat  were  stamped  with  the  original  date  of 
inspection  in  1891,  the  year  that  the  "Slocum"  was 
launched. 

FIRE  STARTED  IN  FORWARD  CABIN. 

The  origin  of  the  fire  was  placed  definitely  in  the 
forward  cabin  where  a  miscellaneous  lot  of  inflammable 
material  was  stored,  including  oil  for  the  lanterns.  Men 
sent  to  this  place  to  look  for  materials  were  in  the  habit 
of  lighting  matches  instead  of  taking  lanterns. 

There  was  a  wide  divergence  of  opinion  about  the 
location  of  the  "  Slocum  "  at  the  time  the  captain  was 
notified  of  the  fire. 

Before  questioning  the  mate   and   the  deck  hands 

Mr.  Garvan  had   examined    two   of  the  officers    of  the 

^  Knickerbocker  Steamship  Company,  Frank  A.  Barnaby, 

the  president,  and  James  K.  Atkinson,  the  secretary.    Mr. 

Barnaby  said  that  before  the  "  Slocum  "  had  been  put  in 

commission  this   year  he  had  given  instructions  to  have 

her  put  in  as  fine  condition  as  oossible  and  about  $12,000 

had  been  spent. 
n.y.  12 


178  STARTLING  FACTS  AT  THE  INQUEST. 

He  had  been  requested  to  bring  to  the  inquest  the 
company's  books  showing  all  expenditures  for  life  sav- 
ing apparatus  on  the  u  Slocum."  Instead  of  doing  so 
he  had  had  abstracts  made  from  his  ledger  and  had 
brought  five  original  bills,  running  back  to  the  spring 
of  1902,  showing  that  the  company  had  purchased  350 
life-preservers  this  year. 

Mr.  Garvan's  first  glance  at  the  bills  led  him  to 
infer  that  an  attempt  had  been  made  to  alter  them. 
They  had  been  made  out  to  the  steamer  "  Grand  Repub- 
lic ;"  the  ink  of  this  name  had  been  faded  and  u  General 
Slocum  "  had  been  written  above  the  name  of  the  other 
boat.  The  papers  indicated  that  some  acid  had  been  used. 

BARNABY'S  WEAK  EXPLANATION. 

Mr.  Barnaby  said  he  had  received  the  bills  in  his 
office  exactly  as  they  then  were.  He  explained  that 
supplies  for  the  two  boats  were  ordered  by  the  captain 
of  the  "  Grand  Republic  "  and  were  later  charged  sepa- 
rately on  the  company's  books.  Mr.  Atkinson  could 
not  give  any  additional  information. 

Mr.  Garvan  announced  that  he  wished  to  have  the 
company's  bookkeeper  appear  at  once  with  the  original 
ledgers.  The  promise  was  given  that  the  bookkeeper 
would  appear  in  the  afternoon.  It  was  shortly  after 
twelve  o'clock  that  this  notice  was  given,  but  when  an 
adjournment  was  taken  at  five  o'clock  the  bookkeeper 
had  not  appeared  with  the  books. 

"  It  is  very  curious  that  the  bookkeeper  has  not 
been  able  to  get  here  in  all  this  time,"  commented  the 
Assistant  District  Attorney  to  the  Coroner.  "  I  was 
particularly  anxious  to  have  the  books  marked  in  evi- 
dence to-dav." 


STARTLING  FACTS  AT  THE  INQUEST.  171) 

Mr.  Baruaby  was  the  first  witness.  After  he  had 
been  sworn  Mr.  Garvan  asked  the  Coroner  to  exclude 
from  the  court  all  witnesses  except  injured  passengers 
and  relatives  of  those  who  lost  their  lives.  The  motion 
was  granted,  and  half  of  the  men  who  had  been  present 
moved  into  a  rear  room,  leaving  most  of  the  seats  to 
women  and  children  clad  in  deep  mourning,  many  of 
them  with  bandages  about  their  heads  to  cover  in- 
juries. 

Mr.  Barnaby  said  he  had  been  President  of  the 
Knickerbocker  company  for  twenty  years.  The  company 
owned  the  "  Grand  Republic,"  built  about  twenty  3rears 
ago,  and  the  "  General  Slocum,"  built  in  Brooklyn  in 
1891.  Mr.  Barnaby  was  a  stockholder  when  the  "Slo- 
cum" was  built,  and  he  became  a  director  about  ten  years 
before,  but  took  no  active  part  in  the  management  until 
he  was  made  president. 

THE   CAPTAIN  A  STOCKHOLDER. 

He  and  Mr.  Atkinson  conduct  the  executive  depart- 
ment of  the  business.  Mr.  Atkinson  has  charge  of  the 
traffic  department,  and  Captain  John  Pease,  of  the  "Grand 
Republic,"  is  at  the  head  of  the  operating  department. 
Under  the  system  bills  go  to  Captain  Pease,  who  passes 
on  them  and  forwards  them  to  the  office.  Captain 
Pease  is  a  stockholder  and  owns  some  of  the  company's 
bonds. 

The  "Slocum"  was  put  in  commission  in  1904  on 
May  6  or  7.  Mr.  Barnaby  did  not  make  any  examina- 
tion of  her  before  that  time,  nor  had  he  been  aboard  of 
her  since  then.  It  was  Captain  Pease  who  made  the  ap- 
plication for  inspection.  He  had  not  said  anything  to 
Mr.  Barnaby  specially  about  either  the  life  preservers  or 


180 


STARTLING  FACTS  AT  THE  INQUEST. 


the  fire  hose,  but  the  president  had  been  informed  gener- 
ally that  the  "  Slocum"  was  in  a  better  condition  than  last 
year  and  was  in  as  good  condition  as  when  she  was  built. 
All  that  Mr.  Barnaby  knew  about  the  lifeboats  was  what 
the  inspectors  had  reported. 

Edward  Flanagan,  the  mate,  was  kept  on  the  witness 
stand  during  the  greater  part  of  the  afternoon.  He 
seemed  depressed  and  frequently  spoke  of  the  ordeal 
which  had  completely  unnerved  him. 

STEAMBOAT  MASTER  IN  SUMMER. 

He  said  he  was  twenty-seven  years  old.  He  de- 
scribed himself  as  a  steamboat  master  in  summer  and  a 
mechanic  in  a  foundry  in  winter.  This  was  his  second 
season  as  first  mate  of  the  "  Slocum."  It  was  he  who 
had  hired  the  seven  deck  hands  for  the  steamer.  In  the 
forward  cabin,  which  came  under  his  charge,  were  stored 
boards,  lines  and  blinds.  The  porter  often  went  there  to 
clean  the  lamps. 

Q.  How  many  barrels  of  oil  were  there  ?  A.  One, 
to  my  knowledge,  containing  mineral  sperm  ;  we  had  it 
three  weeks. 

Q.  Any  kerosene  ?     A.  Not  to  my  knowledge. 

Q.  How  many  barrels  did  you  see  ?  A.  I  don't 
know.     All  of  them  were  empty. 

Q.  Any  charcoal  there  ?  A.  If  there  was  any  it  was 
not  known  to  me.      We  never  kept  any. 

Q.  What  supplies  were  brought  on  for  the  excur- 
sion ?  A.  They  generally  take  charge  of  that  themselves. 
I  didn't  see  what  they  brought. 

Q.  Whose  duty  is  it  to  see  that  they  do  not  bring 
aboard  dangerous  articles — fireworks,  for  instance  ?  A. 
I  don't  recollect. 


STARTLING  FACTS  AT  THE  INQUEST.  181 

Flanagan  thought  that  the  excursionists  had  brought 
aboard  bananas  and  it  seemed  likely  to  him  that  these 
had  been  packed  in  hay,  though  he  was  not  certain.  He 
did  not  see  any  barrels  of  glasses.  He  said  the  door  of 
the  forward  cabin  was  always  left  open.  He  did  no1 
know  of  any  arrangements  for  turning  steam  into  th< 
cabin  in  case  of  fire. 

There  were  two  standpipes,  one  aft  and  one  forward. 
The  forward  pipe  was  sometimes  utilized  for  washing  the 
deck,  but  so  far  as  he  knew  the  fire  hose  had  never  been 
taken  for  that  purpose. 

CONCERNING    PROVISION  AGAINST   FIRE. 

Q.  When  the  standpipe  was  used  how  was  the  water 
stopped  from  entering  the  fire  hose  ?    A.    I  don't  know. 

Q.  Did  you  ever  see  a  false  washer  there  ?  A.  No,  sir. 

Q.  How  was  the  hose  kept  ?  A.  All  rolled  up  small. 
I  don't  know  who  rolled  it. 

Q.  Was  the  nozzle  inside  ?  A.  I  think  it  was  out- 
side, but  I  am  not  sure. 

Flanagan  looked  sadly  about  and  exclaimed: — "I 
can't  sleep.  I  imagine  I  see  everything  in  front  of  me. 
A  man  who  has  gone  through  what  I  went  through  that 
day" 

Mr.  Garvan  interrupted  him  and  put  further  ques- 
tions about  the  fire  hose.  Flanagan  did  not  know 
whether  or  not  this  had  been  taken  down  when  the  stand- 
pipe  was  used  for  washing  the  decks.  He  said  he  had 
been  standing  watching  two  deck  hands  reeling  off  a  new 
line  at  the  midship  gangway  when  Coakley  ran  to- 
ward him. 

He  had  just  noticed  the  smoke  himself  and  he  put 
up  his  hand  to  warn  the  man  to  keep  quiet.     He  walked 


182  STARTLING  FACTS  AT  THE  INQUEST, 

forward  and  locked  down  and  then  returned  and  called 
up  the  tube,  "  Captain,  we're  all  afire  forward  !"  He  did 
not  remember  the  Captain's  reply.  He  went  to  the  en- 
gine room  and  spoke  to  the  chief  engineer,  asking  the 
second  engineer  then  to  turn  on  the  water  for  him. 

When  the  hose  was  cut  down  it  was  full  of  kinks. 
Some  of  the  men  turned  one  way,  some  another. 

"  Gauene  said  'Turn  the  water  on,'"  continued 
Flanagan.  "  Between  kinks  and  everything  the  hose 
burst  and  the  coupling  blew  off,  besides  I  think  all  this 
happened  together  as  soon  as  the  water  was  turned  on.  I 
didn't  see  anyone  take  out  a  false  washer." 

"What  did  you  do  next  ?  "  pursued  Mr.  Garvan. 

"  I  told  the  men  to  get  out  the  boats  or  to  assist  the 
people." 

COULD  NOT  REACH  STANDPIPE. 

Flanagan  said  he  had  not  seen  the  Captain  below  at 
all,  and  he  himself  had  not  gone  up  to  the  bridge.  He 
had  not  been  able  to  get  to  the  other  standpipe,  although 
he  had  tried.  He  declared  that  he  did  not  know  hew  far 
the  "Slocum  "  had  gone  when  the  fire  occurred. 

Q.  Did  the  "  Slocum  "  have  any  new  life-preservers 
this  vear  ?  A,  I  don't  know,  I  was  sick  and  then  this 
happened, 

Q.  When  you  got  back  after  being  sick  did  you 
notice  any  new  ones  ?  A,  I  did  not  notice  and  I  did 
not  ask. 

Q.  Were  there  any  in  the  stateroom  ?  A.  Yes ; 
some  bad  ones  and  some  good  ones.  They  were  extra 
ones  that  we  had  on  the  boat. 

Q,  How  many  were  there  ?  A.  I  never  counted 
them  and  I  do  not  know. 


STARTLING  PACTS  AT  THE  INQUEST.  183 

Mr.  Garvan  reverted  to  the  official  inspection. 
Flanagan  said  he  had  not  been  around  all  the  time  with 
the  inspectors.  He  was  confused,  and  Mr.  McManus,  to 
encourage  him,  said  :  "  Don't  be  frightened.  There  is 
nothing  to  conceal." 

"  I  am  not  frightened,"  returned  Flanagan,  in  a  low 
tone. 

"  Then  talk  up  frankly,"  exclaimed  Coroner  Berry 
sharply. 

"  I  am  trying  to,"  muttered  the  mate.  He  said  so 
far  as  he  knew  between  ten  and  twenty  life  preservers 
had  been  rejected  by  the  inspector. 

EXAMINED  WITH  A  CANE, 

"  Did  you  not  tell  me  in  my  office  that  the  inspector 
went  around  with  a  ruler  in  his  hand  and  poked  some  of 
the  life  preservers  in  sight  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Garvan.  Flan- 
agan answered  feebly,  "  I  don't  know  whether  it  was  a 
ruler  or  a  cane," 

"Did  you  not  say  that  in  ten  or  twenty  of  them  he 
poked  right  through  the  canvas  and  he  made  you  take 
them  down?  " 

"  He  told  me  to  throw  them  away." 

"  Did  he  take  down  any  others  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  sir," 

"Did  he  take  down  all?" 

"  I  took  down  only  those  he  said  were  no  good." 

"  Were  any  new  ones  put  up  in  place  of  those  you 
removed?" 

"  I  can't  say,  sir ;  I  wasn't  there  all  the  time." 

"  When  the  inspector  came  was  the  fire  hose  attached 
to  the  standpipe  ?  " 

"  I  couldn't  say." 


184  STARTLING  FACTS  AT  THE  INQUEST, 

"Was  there  any  test  of  it  ?  " 

"Not  to  my  memory." 

"  As  a  matter  of  fact  did  you  ever  see  a  life-preserver 
on  the  ' General  Slocum'  that  was  not  stamped  'In- 
spected, September  28,  1891  ?  '  " 

"No,  sir." 

Flanagan  said  the  "Slocuni"  was  beached  when  he 
jumped  from  the  main  deck,  amidship,  starboard  side. 
He  did  not  know  whether  the  rubber  hose  had  been  used 
after  the  bursting  of  the  fire  hose,  but  he  thought  that  a 
deckhand  had  tried  to  use  it. 

LIGHTED  MATCHES  IN  CABIN. 

He  admitted,  when  the  Coroner  questioned  him,  that 
he  had  lighted  matches  in  the  forward  cabin,  but  he  did 
not  believe  that  it  had  been  necessary  for  others  to  do  so, 
and  he  had  heard  no  complaints  on  that  score.  He  had 
not  seen  the  porter  on  the  morning  of  the  fire.  He  did 
not  know  that  any  of  the  life  preserver  racks  had  been 
empty,  and  he  had  not  heard  that  children  had  pulled 
down  one  rack  and  that  the  former  contents  had  been 
taken  to  the  store  room. 

John  J.  Coakley,  a  deck  hand,  and  the  first  of  the 
"General  Slocum' s"  crew  to  see  the  fire,  told  a  story 
different  in  many  particulars  from  the  testimony  he  had 
previously  given  before  the  Coroner.  He  said  he  had 
been  employed  on  the  boat  eighteen  days  prior  to  the  fire 
and  received  $6.25  a  week  and  his  board.  He  had  also 
worked  on  the  "  General  Slocum  "  as  deck  hand  in  1890. 

"  Have  you  ever  seen  any  fire  drill  on  the  "  Genemi 
Slocum  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Garvan. 

"No,  sir,"  he  answered. 


STARTLING  FACTS  AT  THE  INQUEST.  185 

"  Were  you  at  anytime  instructed  what  to  do  in  case 
of  fire?" 

"  No,  never  at  any  time," 

Coakley  had  been  detailed  to  stand  at  the  gangplank 
and  count  the  excursionists  as  they  went  aboard  the  boat 
at  the  foot  of  East  Third  street,  and  said  that  he  counted 
982  grown  persons  and  estimated  that  there  were  chil- 
dren enough  to  bring  the  total  number  up  to  1100, 

"I  had  a  counting  machine,"  he  said,  uand  counted 
all  children  under  fourteen  two  for  one.  The  best  esti- 
mate I  could  make  gave  about  1100  persons  all  told. 
There  were  982  grown  persons  and  children  enough  to 
make  up  1100." 

He  then  described  various  parts  of  the  ship  and  said 
the  fire  started  in  a  locker  forward,  in  which  was  kept 
oil,  the  ship's  lamps,  pieces  of  canvas  and  other  articles 
that  would  belong  in  a  general  store  room. 

LAMP    KEPT   BURNING. 

This  room  was  never  locked.  A  lamp  was  usually 
kept  burning  inside.  Because  of  the  heat  in  the  room, 
members  of  the  crew  usually  put  their  wet  clothes  in 
there  to  dry.  It  was  a  hot  place,  because  it  was  near  the 
boiler  room.  It  was  also  near  the  bar,  and  Coakley  stood 
at  the  bar  drinking  a  glass  of  beer  when  a  small  boy  ran 
up  to  him  and  tugged  at  his  sleeve  and  said,  "  Mister, 
look  at  the  smoke  ;  I  guess  the  boat's  on  fire." 

Mr.  Garvan  required  the  witness  to  describe  all  that 
took  place  after  the  boat  left  Third  street  until  she  was 
beached  on  North  Brother  Island. 

" After  leaving  Third  street,"  said  Coakley,  "I  was 
in  different  parts  of  the  ship  trying  to  keep  the  children 
from  climbing  over  the  rail.     I  got  two  police  officers  and 


186  STARTLING  FACTS  AT  THE  INQUEST. 

went  with  them  to  the  hurricane  deck  and  told  them  how 
to  watch  the  children.  Then  I  went  to  the  main  deck." 
He  then  described  how  the  boy  went  up  to  him  and  called 
his  attention  to  the  smoke. 

"  The  smoke  came  up  to  about  three  feet  from  where 
T  stood,"  he  said,  "and  out  of  the  forward  cabin.  I  ran 
to  the  stairs  and  saw  the  room  was  full  of  smoke.  I  went 
in  and  tried  to  get  a  piece  of  canvass  to  smother  it,  but 
could  not  tear  it  loose.  Then  I  tried  to  smother  it  with 
a  bag  of  charcoal,  but  the  smoke  and  heat  drove  me 
away. 

"I  couldn't  tell  exactly  where  the  fire  was,  there 
was  so  much  smoke.  Then  I  called  three  other  deck 
hands  and  I  think  they  went  back  with  me,  but  they  say 
they  did  not.  After  that  I  took  my  knife  and  cut  away 
the  fastenings  that  held  the  coil  of  fire  hose." 

BURST  IN  SEVERAL  PLACES. 

"  Had  you  ever  seen  water  put  through  that  hose  ?  " 
asked  Mr.  Garvan. 

"No,  sir,"  he  said.  "After  I  let  down  the  hose  it 
all  kinked  up,  and  when  the  water  was  turned  on  it  burst 
in  several  places  at  once." 

Coakley  explained  that  the  hose  was  not  laid  flat  in 
a  pile  on  a  shelf,  but  was  in  a  coil  suspended  and  in  such 
shape  that  when  it  was  drawn  out  it  curled  and  kinked 
in  many  places.  He  said  the  two  hundred  feet  of  hose 
was  uncoiled  in  a  space  of  thirty  feet,  and  there  was  no 
time  or  chance  to  straighten  out  the  kinks. 

"Wasn't  the  hose  forced  off  the  standpipe  when  the 
water  was  turned  on  ?  "  was  asked.  He  said  it  was  not, 
but  other  witnesses  testified  that  it  was.     He  said  that 


STARTLING  FACTS  AT  THE  INQUEST.  187 

no  effort  was  made  to  connect  the  smaller  rubber  hose 
used  in  washing  the  decks  after  the  fire  hose  burst. 

"  The  people  jammed  about  us  so,"  he  continued, 
"that  we  could  not  do  anything.  Women  grabbed  me 
and  the  other  deck  hands,  and  we  went  to  the  upper 
decks.  One  of  the  deck  hands  thrust  a  baby  into  my 
arms  and  said,  c  You  better  save  this  child,'  and  I  went 
into  the  water," 

The  witness  tried  to  relate  his  experience  in  the 
water,  but  Mr,  Garvan  stopped  him  and  asked  him  why 
he  did  not  make  greater  effort  to  save  the  passengers 
before  jumping  overboard. 

WILD  JAM  OF  PEOPLE 

"  The  people  lost  their  heads,"  he  said,  "and  jammed 
about  us  so  we  could  do  very  little.  We  got  down  a  great 
many  life  preservers  and  one  boat  was  lowered.  It  was 
filled  with  people  and  was  swamped  near  the  bow. 
(Later  witnesses  testified  that  no  boats  were  lowered.) 

"  The  life  preservers  that  I  saw  were  in  good  condi- 
tion, none  of  them  being  ripped,  and  I  saw  a  great  many 
persons  putting  them  on." 

"  Was  any  effort  made  to  put  out  the  fire  after  the 
hose  burst?"  asked  Coroner  Berry. 

"  No,  sir;  none  that  I  saw." 

"  Were  any  fire  extinguishers,  water  buckets  or  any 
other  fire-fighting  apparatus  aside  from  the  hose  used 
when  the  fire  was  first  discovered  or  at  any  time?  " 

"  No,  sir." 

Coakley  could  not  locate  exactly  where  the  "  General 
Slocum  "  was  when  the  fire  started,  but  said  it  was 
shortly  after  they  had  passed  the  Blackwell's  Island 
beacon  light.     In  answer  to  questions  put  by  the  Assist- 


188  STARTLING  FACTS  AT  THE  INQUEST. 

ant  District  Attorney,  Coakley  said  he  had  taken  several 
drinks  on  the  day  of  the  accident,  had  taken  several  the 
day  before  and  several  each  day  since  then.  At  the  close 
of  the  hearing  Coakley  was  committed  to  the  House  of 
Detention  by  order  of  the  Coroner.  All  other  members 
of  the  crew  were  taken  back  to  the  Lebanon  Hospital 
tinder  police  escort. 

Thomas  Collins,  another  deck  hand,  was  called  after 
Coakley.  He  had  been  employed  on  the  "  General 
Slocum  "  only  four  days  prior  to  the  accident.  He  had 
worked  one  day  on  her  four  years  ago. 

NO  FIRE  INSTRUCTIONS  GIVEN. 

"Did  you  ever  receive  any  instructions  on  the 
*  General  Slocum '  as  to  what  to  do  in  case  of  fire,  or 
did  you  ever  see  any  fire  drill  on  the  boat?"  was 
asked, 

"No,  sir,"  he  said. 

Collins  stated  that  he  was  detailed  to  stand  by  the 
lines,  and  was  near  the  forward  gangway  on  the  main 
deck  when  the  fire  started.  His  attention  was  first 
attracted  by  the  screams  of  women.  He  told  of  his  part 
of  the  work  in  getting  down  the  fire  hose  and  said  he  ran 
with  the  nozzle  to  the  door  of  the  locker,  but  when  the 
water  was  turned  on  the  hose  burst  and  then  all  hands 
ran  to  the  upper  deck. 

"Did  you  see  any  life  boats  lowered  ?  " 

"  I  did  not." 

"  Did  you  see  any  life  preservers  taken  down  by  the 
crew  ?  " 

"Yes,  several ;  but  I  didn't  see  any  of  them  tear  or 
rip." 

Both  Coakley  and  Collins  were  questioned  concern- 


STARTLING  FACTS  AT  THE  INQUEST.  180 

ing  a  rubber  washer  that  was  placed  over  the  mouth  of 
the  standpipe  to  prevent  water  from  dripping  down  into 
the  fire  hose  and  rotting  it.  It  was  said  this  washer 
greatly  impeded  the  work  of  the  men  in  coupling  the 
hose,  but  neither  of  them  knew  anything  about  it. 
Other  witnesses  described  it  fully,  Collins  said  the 
panic  was  so  great  that  it  was  difficult  for  anyone  to 
remember  just  what  happened.  He  admitted  that  he 
was  greatly  excited,  but  said  he  did  not  jump  until  the 
boat  was  beached. 

After  handing  to  Mr.  Garvan  the  bills  for  fire  fight- 
ing apparatus,  Mr.  Barnaby  said  he  understood  that  all 
the  articles  had  been  bought  for  the  "  Slocuin,"  though 
he  had  no  personal  knowledge  on  the  subject. 

WORDS  RUBBED  OUT, 

Q.  I  wish  to  show  you  one  of  the  bills  and  to  ask 
you  who  rubbed  out  the  words  "  Grand  Republic  ?  "  A. 
I  don't  know.  While  the  accounts  were  kept  in  the 
name  of  the  "  Grand  Republic,''  the  supplies  were  taken 
in  the  other  boat  when  needed. 

Q.  I  notice  that  the  bills  are  made  out  to  the  "  Grand 
Republic,"  and  that  on  all  but  one  an  effort  has  been 
made  to  erase  the  name  ;  can  you  tell  me  anything  about 
this  ?     A.  I  know  nothing  about  what  is  on  the  bills. 

Q.  Didn't  you  tell  me  that  there  were  separate 
accounts  for  the  two  steamers  ?  A.  Yes,  on  our  books. 
The  bills  may  have  been  marked  for  one  or  for  the  other 
by  the  sellers. 

Q.  I  understand  that  life-preservers  must  bear  the 
name  of  the  ship  ;  who  marks  them  ?  A.  I  do  not  know 
whether  the  manufacturer  does  or  the  steamboat  com- 
pany. 


190  STARTLING  FACTS  AT  THE  INQUEST. 

Mr.  Barnaby  did  not  know  whether  he  conld  obtain 
a  list  of  the  company's  expenditures  for  life-preservers 
since  1891,  but  he  said  he  would  try  to  get  it.  Many  of 
the  old  ledgers  were  in  storage  in  Brooklyn.  A  certified 
copy  of  the  government  inspection,  dated  May  6,  1904, 
was  put  in  evidence,  with  a  roster  of  the  crews.  The 
^Slocum"  was  built  from  specifications  made  by  Captain 
Pease.  Captain  Van  Schaick  was  not  a  stockholdet  in  the 
Knickerbocker  company. 

In  answer  to  Mr.  Dittenhoefer's  questions,  Mr. 
Barnaby  said  he  had  business  outside  of  the  steamboat 
company  which  occupies  most  of  his  time.  He  does 
not  pretend  to  be  a  steamboat  man  or  to  have  any  knowl- 
edge of  boat  building.  He  relied  implicitly  upon  the 
reports  of  the  government  inspectors  and  upon  informa- 
tion he  obtained  from  Captains  Pease  and  Van  Schaick. 
If  any  defects  had  been  called  to  his  attention  he  would 
have  remedied  them  at  once. 

NOT  IN    SAFE  CONDITION. 

Q.  (by  Mr.  McManus).  What  conversation  did  you 
have  with  Captain  Pease  about  repairs  to  the  "Slocum?" 
A.  He  called  on  me  in  February  and  told  me  that  the 
"  General  Slocuin  "  was  not  in  first-class  condition,  and 
she  was  not  as  popular  as  he  would  like  to  see  her.  I 
said  :  uPut  her  in  as  fine  a  condition  as  you  can  make 
her."     That's  all  I  said. 

Q.  What  was  the  cost  of  the  repairs  ?  A.  About 
$12,000,  or  more. 

Q.  What  was  the  value  of  the  "  Slocuin,"  and  how 
much  insurance  did  you  carry  ?  A.  I  think  she  cost 
$165,000.     Our  insurance  was  $70,000. 

Mr.  Barnaby  said  the  "Slocum  "  was  considered  by 


STARTLING  FACTS  AT  THE  INQUEST.  191 

insurance  men  a  good  risk,  and  lie  was  assured  that  the 
rates  were  the  lowest  possible,  four  per  cent.,  less  a  dis- 
count and  less  a  rebate.  He  was  then  excused  and  Mr. 
Atkinson  was  questioned  briefly. 

He  said  that  as  secretary  he  had  charge  of  the  com- 
pany's books,  but  not  of  the  equipment.  Captain  Van 
Schaick  had  charge  of  this  branch  of  work  for  the  uSlo- 
cum,"  but  under  the  supervision  of  Captain  Pease.  Miss 
Hall,  the  company's  bookkeeper,  had  handed  to  him  the 
bills  introduced  as  exhibits,  and  he  had  turned  them  over 
to  Mr.  Barnaby.  He  had  not  applied  acid  to  them,  nor 
had  he  altered  them  in  any  other  manner.  He  had  not 
even  examined  them.  He  had  made  the  arrangements 
for  the  excursion  of  the  St.  Mark's  Lutheran  Church 
Sunday  School  with  William  H.  Pulman. 

CHARGE   FOR  DAY'S   USE. 

There  was  a  written  contract  which  was  burned  with 
the  boat.  Mr.  Pulman  had  chartered  the  "  Sloe u in  "  out- 
right for  the  day  at  the  rate  of  $350.  This  arrangement 
carried  with  it  the  right  to  supply  refreshments.  One  of 
the  stewards  asked  Mr.  Atkinson  on  Wednesday  morn- 
ing if  the  Sunday  school  party  would  require  anything 
and  was  informed  that  nothing  had  been  said  on  the  sub- 
ject. 

"  Has  the  company  paid  any  dividends  in  recent 
years  ?  "   inquired  Mr.  McManus. 

"  It  has  not  paid  a  dividend  in  the  seven  years  that 
I  have  been  connected  with  it,''  was  the  reply. 

Promising  to  send  Miss  Hall  to  the  armor}'  imme- 
diately, Air.  Atkinson  hurried  away. 

James  Corcoran  came  to  the  witness  stand  in  his 
shirt  sleeves.     For  four  years  he  had  worked   as  a  deck 


192  STARTLING  FACTS  AT  THE  INQUEST. 

hand  in  summer  and  driven  newspaper  delivery  wagons 
in  winter.  He  was  the  head  deck  hand  on  the  "  Slocum," 
coming  directly  after  the  mate. 

Q.  Did  yon  have  any  fire  drills  on  the  "Slocum"  ? 
A.  No,  sir,  not  this  season. 

Q.  What  time  did  you  leave  the  Third  street  dock 
last  Wednesday  ?     A.   About  twenty  minutes  to  ten. 

Q.  Where  were  you  when  the  fire  occurred  ?  A.  I 
was  on  the  midship  gangway,  port  side. 

Q.  How  far  was  that  from  the  forward  cabin  ?  A. 
About  twenty-five  feet.  I  could  see  it.  The  first  I  knew 
some  one  yelled,  "Fire!"  and  I  tried  to  go  down,  but 
there  was  no  chance,  as  it  was  all  blazing. 

HOSE   BADLY  TWISTED. 

Another  deck  hand  ran  by  and  yelled  to  the  mate 
and  then  Corcoran  and  others  returned  to  stretch  the 
hose.  By  this  time  the  fire  covered  the  entire  front  of 
the  forward  cabin.  The  hose  had  been  coiled  with  the 
nozzle  in  the  centre.  The  mate  seized  the  nozzle  and 
pulled ;  it  came  out,  but  the  hose  after  it  was  badly 
twisted  and  with  kinks  everywhere. 

Q.  Did  any  water  come  through  ?  A.  Yes,  quite  a 
little  stream,  till  the  hose  "  busted." 

Q.  How  long  was  that  after  the  water  came  ?  A. 
About  iive  minutes. 

Q.  Do  you  mean  to  say  water  ran  in  spite  of  the 
kinks  ?  A.  Yes,  but  it  had  no  pressure.  It  was  like 
water  from  a  faucet,  and  carried,  I  should  judge,  ten  feet. 
When  the  burst  came  the  men  left  and  I  started  to  pull 
down  life  preservers. 

Q.  Did  you  close  the  door  of  the  forward  cabin  when 
you  left  ?     A.  Yes;  sir,  I  closed  that  door  and  two  others. 


STARTLING  FACTS  AT  THE  INQUEST.  193 

Corcoran  said  he  had  started  for  the  hurricane 
deck,  hut  he  had  not  been  able  to  get  beyond  the  promen- 
ade deck  on  account  of  the  crowd  about  the  door.  He 
was  positive  that  no  boats  had  been  lowered.  He  thought 
that  the  "  Slocum  "  was  then  opposite  105th  or  106th 
street,  but  he  was  not  quite  certain,  although  he  is 
familiar  with  the  river.  He  did  not  know  whether  any 
new  life  preservers  had  been  placed  on  the  "  Slocum  " 
this  year. 

He  said  a  false  washer  of  solid  rubber  had  been 
placed  in  the  stand  pipe  in  front  of  the  nozzle  supplying 
the  fire  hose.  This  had  been  done  to  prevent  the  hose 
from  rotting,  and  to  get  water  to  the  fire  hose  would  have 
involved  uncoupling  the  hose  and  removing  the  washer. 
This  was  not  not  done,  so  far  as  he  knew.  The  decks 
were  usually  washed  by  a  rubber  hose  connected  with 
pumps  on  docks,  but  when  this  was  not  convenient  salt 
water  was  drawn  through  the  stand  pipe  and  the  washer 
protected  the  fire  hose.  There  had  been  some  talk  about 
using  the  little  rubber  hose  on  the  fire,  but  it  was  then 
too  late  and  nothing  was  done. 

FIRST  SUIT  FOR   DAMAGES. 

In  the  first  of  the  suits  for  damages  which  have  been 
brought  against  the  Knickerbocker  Steamboat  Company 
for  loss  of  life  on  the  M  General  Slocum"  the  interesting 
point  has  been  raised  that  as  the  disaster  occurred  on  in- 
land waters  the  United  States  statute  limiting  the  liability 
of  owners  to  the  value  of  the  vessel  does  not  appl\\ 

Jacob  Friedman,  a  lawyer,  counsel  for  Mrs.  Kate 
Mattler,  who  lost  four  children  on  the  ill-fated  "Slocum," 
began  an  action  in  her  behalf  for  the  recovery  of  $50,000. 

"  I  expect  to  obtain  judgment  against  the  owners  on 

•N.Y..1:; 


194  STARTLING  FACTS  AT  THE  INQUEST. 

the  ground  that  they  failed  to  provide  proper  life  pre- 
servers and  proper  means  to  extinguish  fire,  and  that  the 
officers  failed  to  stop  the  boat  so  that  the  passengers 
could  be  saved.  Section  No.  4,283  of  the  United  States 
Revised  Statutes,  which  has  been  referred  to  frequently 
since  the  disaster,  will  not  avail  the  company  in  seek- 
ing to  evade  financial  responsibility,  for  two  reasons  :  first, 
the  accident  happened  on  an  inland  stream  and  Section 
No.  4,289,  of  the  Revised  Statutes  provides  that  Section 
4,283  does  not  apply  to  accidents  on  inland  streams; 
second,  officers  of  the  company  owning  the  vessel  had 
knowledge  or  in  law  will  be  deemed  to  have  had  knowl- 
edge of  the  deficient  equipment  of  the  boat." 

PLAIN   VIOLATION   OF  LAW. 

"In  addition  it  has  been  decided  in  cases  brought 
under  the  State  law  that  officers  of  a  company  may  be 
held  for  violations  of  law  when  the  violations  are  due  to 
acts  or  omissions  of  acts  which  they  are  charged  by  law 
to  perform. 

"  I  intend  also  to  sue  the  president  of  the  company 
individually,  as  the  State  law  holds  an  officer  liable  when 
a  corporation  fails  to  observe  the  law." 

After  an  examination  of  the  standpipe  and  hose 
taken  from  the  wreck  of  the  "Slocum,"  Coroner  O' Gor- 
man declared  that  he  was  convinced  that  absolutely  no 
attempt  was  made  by  the  crew  of  the  burned  steamer  to 
fight  the  flames. 

"The  stand  pipe,"  said  the  Coroner,  "  had  not  been 
unscrewed,  and  as  for  the  hose,  it  is  all  burned  on  a  flat 
edge.  That  is  to  say,  it  is  not  burned  all  around,  as  it 
would  have  been  had  it  been  strung  out  and  put  in  ser- 
vice.    Instead,  there  is  a  long  streak  of  black  along  the 


STARTLING  FACTS  AT  THE  INQUEST.  195 

edges,  showing  that  the  flames  scorched  it  as  it  lay  coiled 
up  and  flattened. 

"  Most  of  this  hose,  I  find,  is  made  of  the  cheapest 
material,  and  while  capable  of  carrying  water,  a  stream 
must  be  run  through  it  for  about  ten  minutes  before  any 
effective  work  can  be  done  with  it.  It  was  absolutely 
useless  for  an  emergency  such  as  that  which  arose." 

Regarding  the  life  ring,  which  was  found  at  the 
bottom  of  the  river  with  four  women  clinging  to  it, 
Coroner  O' Gorman  said  : 

"That  is  the  finest  anchor  I  ever  saw.  Why,  it  is 
incapable  of  sustaining  even  its  own  weight  above 
water." 

"  There  is  no  use  reinspecting  the  steamboats  in  the 
harbor,"  said  a  steamboat  inspector  who  was  among  wit- 
nesses at  the  inquest.  He  spoke  plainly,  but  requested 
that  his  name  should  not  be  disclosed. 

INSPECTORS   PASS  THE   BOATS. 

"This  order  is  all  rot,"  he  continued,  "and  every 
steamboat  man  knows  it.  Every  boat  will  be  prepared 
for  the  inspection,  and  of  course  the  inspectors  will  have 
to  give  them  the  O.  K.  mark. 

"  We  have  a  pretty  tough  time  of  it,  as  an  experi- 
ence I  had  the  day  after  the  "Slocum"  disaster  will  show. 
I  was  going  over  a  boat  and  hauled  down  a  couple  of  life- 
preservers  to  see  what  condition  they  were  in.  They 
didn't  look  right,  and  I  told  the  owner  and  captain  that 
all  of  them  would  have  to  come  down.  They  both 
kicked. 

"I  tore  the  covering  off  one  of  the  preservers  despite 
the  protests  of  the  captain.  I  then  told  the  owner  he 
would  have  to  get  new  ones.     He  insisted  that  they  were 


196 


STARTLING  FACTS  AT  THE  INQUEST. 


good  enough,  and  I  said  lie  could  do  as  he  pleased  about 
it,  but  I  was  going  to  condemn  them  all. 

"  The  fire  hose  was  nicely  coiled  up  with  a  highly 
polished  brass  nozzle  and  looked  fine.  But  when  I 
unreeled  the  hose  I  found  it  was  rotten.  In  case  of  fire 
it  would  have  been  absolutely  useless.  I  ordered  them 
to  get  new  hose,  and  I  am  going  back  there  to  see  that 
they  do  it. 

"  These  so-called  fire  drills  on  excursion  steamers 
are  farces.  I  know  what  I  am  talking  about,  for  I  have 
worked  on  boats  for  years.  They  have  fire  drills  on  the 
big  passenger  steamers  that  run  the  year  round,  but  on 
these  excursion  steamers  the  crew  is  changing  all  the 
time  and  they  never  have  drills.  The  only  part  of  the 
crew  that  has  any  permanency  is  in  the  pilot  house  and 
engine  room.  The  deck  crew  is  changed  two  and  three 
times  a  week,  the  captain  picking  up  any  one  he'  can  get. 
You  know  they  don't  pay  much. 

TWO    RIGID  RULES. 

"  There  are  two  points  to  the  "Slocum  "  disaster  to 
which  attention  ought  to  be  called.  One  is  that  no  pas- 
senger steamboat  should  be  built  with  wooden  stanchions, 
If  the  stanchions  on  the  "  Slocum  "  had  been  of  iron  the 
deck  would  not  have  fallen  and  many  lives  would  have 
been  saved.  And  if  the  life  preservers  were  made  of 
solid  cork,  instead  of  granulated  cork,  it  would  make  no 
difference  if  the  covering  was  torn.  The  life  preserver 
would  still  do  its  work," 

The  following  statement  was  made  by  a  responsible 
journal : — 

"  The  John  D,  Rockefeller  millions  have  come  to  the 
aid  of  the  sufferers  from  the  "  Slocum  "  disaster.    It  was 


STARTLING  FACTS  AT  THE  INQUEST.  197 

learned  that  a  contribution  was  received  which  was  not  reg- 
istered, but  which  places  the  fund  upon  a  foundation  of 
solid  rock.  It  leaked  out  that  a  telephone  message  had 
been  received  from  the  offices  of  the  Standard  Oil  Com- 
pany that  the  great  fortune  of  the  richest  man  in  the  world 
was  at  its  disposal  to  be  drawn  upon  for  any  deficiency 
in  the  fund  which  might  remain  after  other  donations  had 
ceased  to  come  in. 

"  This  renders  easy  and  practicable  the  plan  of  the 
committee  to  resolve  itself  into  a  permanent  organization 
for  the  future  maintenance  of  the  children  who  have  been 
left  orphans  and  the  dependents  who  have  been  left  with- 
out support.  It  was  decided  at  the  meeting  of  the  com- 
mittee at  the  St.  Mark's  Lutheran  Church  that  a  per- 
manent organization  should  be  effected,  that  incorpora- 
tion papers  should  be  taken  out  and  that  a  legal  name 
should  be  adopted  in  order  that  the  committee  might  be- 
come legal  guardians  of  the  children  and  dependents  de- 
prived of  their  support  by  the  disaster. 

LOOKING  AFTER  ORPHANS. 

"  It  was  decided  that  when  the  immediate  necessities 
of  the  sufferers  had  all  been  met  and  the  exact  dimensions 
of  the  fund  definitely  ascertained  an  appropriation  should 
be  made  for  each  orphan  and  dependent,  to  be  kept  in 
trust  for  that  child  or  dependent  as  long  as  he  or  she 
might  need  it. 

"  It  was  announced  that  $5,000  had  been  pledged  to 
undertakers  for  funeral  expenses,  and  $500  expended  for 
drugs,  medical  attendance,  food  and  mourning  clothing, 
and  that  the  most  pressing  necessities  of  the  sufferers 
had  been  largely  cleared  away." 

The  question  arose  as  to  how  the  captains  and  pilots 


198  STARTLING  FACTS  AT  THE  INQUEST. 

of  the  steamboats  in  the  harbor  are  licensed.  General 
Dumont,  the  local  United  States  Steamboat  Inspector, 
said:  " These  men  receive  their  certificates  from  this 
office  after  rigid  examination.  They  have  to  prove  them- 
selves thoroughly  competent  before  the  certificates  are 
granted." 

It  appears,  therefore,  that  the  Federal  officials  may 
be  held  responsible  not  only  for  the  condition  of  the 
"  Slocuni "  and  its  apparatus,  but  also  for  the  ability  of 
its  captain  and  pilots. 

While  Captain  Van  Schaick  was  spoken  of  in  highest 
terms  by  his  confreres  on  the  river  front,  it  was  generally 
acknowledged  that  the  captain  of  an  excursion  boat  acts 
largely  as  a  fiscal  agent  for  the  owners,  and  has  to  keep 
a  keen  eye  upon  money  matters.  Under  the  law  he  is 
compelled  to  remain  in  the  pilot  house  only  while  passing 
Hell  Gate  or  other  such  dangerous  points,  but  for  the 
remainder  of  the  time  is  expected  to  stay  on  the  deck. 


CHAPTER   X. 
NEW  HORRORS  SHOCK  THE  PUBLIC. 

HENRY  LUNDBERG,  Assistant  Inspector  of  Steam- 
boats, was  committed  to  the  House  of  Detention 
by  Coroner  Joseph  I.  Berry,  of  the  Bronx,  when  an  ad- 
journment was  taken  in  the  inquest  into  the  death  of  the 
victims  of  the  "  General  Slocum  "  disaster.  Lundberg 
seemed  nonplussed  and  stared  about  helplessly  while  his 
lawyer  made  a  vain  plea  in  his  behalf.  Coroner  Berry 
refused  to  permit  the  Federal  official  to  leave  the  court- 
room in  the  custody  of  his  counsel. 

Assistant  District  Attorney,  Francis  P.  Garvan,  who 
had  applied  for  the  commitment  of  the  inspector,  said  he 
would  not  object  to  having  bail  set  at  a  sum  that  seemed 
to  him  most  reasonable — $500.  Mr.  Lundberg  gave  a 
sigh  of  relief  when  the  Coroner  acquiesced.  After  a  slight 
delay  the  bail  bond  was  signed  and  the  inspector  left  the 
court. 

Mr.  Garvan  had  described  Mr.  Lundberg' s  actions 
on  the  witness  stand  as  a  "disgraceful  spectacle  on  the 
part  of  a  United  States  official."  The  inspector,  by  ad- 
vice of  his  counsel,  had  refused  to  answer  almost  every 
question  put  to  him  on  the  plea  that  anything  he  said 
might  tend  to  incriminate  him. 

Investigation  was  resumed  of  the  bills  for  life  pre- 
servers sent  to  the  Knickerbocker  Steamboat  Company 
which  were  produced  at  the  inquest  on  Monday,  June 
20th,  by  Frank  A.  Barnaby,  president  of  the  company. 
In  four  out  of  five  of  these  bills  the  name  of  the  steamer 
199 


200  NEW  HORRORS  SHOCK  THE  PUBLIC. 

"Grand  Republic  "  had  been  clumsily  erased  by  means  of 
acid  and  the  words  "  General  Slocum  "  had  been  written 
in  its  place. 

Miss  M.  C.  Hall,  who  had  charge  of  the  company's 
books,  was  called  upon  for  an  explanation.  She  said  she 
had  been  in  the  habit  for  some  years  of  making  erasures 
in  her  books  with  acid,  instead  of  drawing  her  pen 
through  an  entry.  All  bills  from  the  firm  that  sold  the 
life  preservers  were  addressed  to  the  "Grand  Republic. " 
She  did  not  enter  them  in  her  books  at  once  but  kept 
them  until  they  were  paid.  To  be  able  to  enter  them 
properly  she  marked  some  of  them  for  the  "General 
Slocum's  "  account. 

CHANGED   NAMES  ON   BILLS. 

Closely  questioned  she  admitted  that  she  had 
changed  the  name  on  some  of  these  bills  for  safety  ap- 
pliances without  knowing  to  which  of  the  companj^'s 
boats  they  had  been  consigned,  but  she  insisted  that  she 
had  not  altered  the  bills  since  the  accident. 

There  was  nothing  brought  out  in  the  testimony  to 
show  that  one  of  the  350  life  preservers  purchased  by  the 
company  this  year  had  been  placed  aboard  the  "  Slo- 
cum.'' All  had  been  consigned  to  the  "  Grand  Republic," 
and  none  of  the  "Slocum's  "  crew  had  seen  any  of  them. 
Three  of  the  crew  had  been  examined  and  agreed  that  no 
fire  drill  had  been  held  on  the  "Slocum"  this  year. 
Several  radical  defects  of  the  boat  were  brought  to  notice. 

Henry  Lundberg,  Assistant  United  States  Inspector 
of  Hulls,  who  made  the  inspection  of  the  life  preservers 
and  other  equipments  of  the  "  General  Slocum  "  had  no 
sooner  seated  himself  in  the  witness  chair  than  his  per- 
sonal counsel  addressed  the  Coroner  in  his  behalf. 


NEW  HORRORS  SHOCK  THE  PUBLIC.  i<  1 

c'  In  a  great  disaster  of  this  kind/'  he  said,  "  the  pub- 
lic Looks  for  some  one  upon  whom  may  be  placed  the  re- 
spoasibility,  and,  unfortunately  for  Mr.  Lundberg;  there 
seems  to  be  indications  that  he  is  the  man  selected.  The 
press,  the  District  Attorney  and  others  appear  to  be  point- 
ing toward  Mr.  Lundberg,  and  therefore  we  feel  that  wc 
anust  refuse  to  answer  all  questions  at  this  time  on  the 
ground  that  it  might  tend  to  incriminate  him." 

Coroner  Berry  struck  the  table  with  his  gavel,  "  I 
must  resent  the  insinuation  that  any  injustice  is  to  be 
done  in  this  court,"  he  said. 

WITNESS   NOTHING  TO   FEAR. 

"  I  also  resent  these  insinuations,"  said  Mr.  Garvan. 
14  This  witness  has  nothing  to  fear.  The  refusal  to  answer 
questions  is  only  for  the  protection  of  criminals,  and  I 
want  this  witness  to  understand  that  his  refusal  puts  him 
in  a  bad  light.  The  spectacle  of  a  United  States  officer 
taking  this  ground  is  not  a  pleasing  one,  If  he  has  done 
but  his  duty  he  has  nothing  to  fear." 

Former  Judge  Dittenhoefer,  representing  the  presi- 
dent of  the  Knickerbocker  Steamboat  Company,  and  Mr. 
McManus,  representing  the  company  generally,  said  they 
had  no  objection  to  the  witness  answering  any  and  all 
questions.  There  was  a  long  wrangle  among  the  lawyers, 
and  Coroner  Berry  reserved  his  decision  as  to  whether  or 
not  the  witness  should  be  required  to  answer.  Meanwhile 
Mr.  Garvan  proceeded  with  the  examination. 

To  the  first  preliminary  questions  Lundberg  an- 
swered that  he  was  thirty-four  years  old,  lived  in  Brook- 
lyn, was  appointed  January  13,  1904,  from  the  Civil  Ser- 
vice list  by  James  A.  Dumont,  and  received  a  salary  of 
$2,000  a  year. 


202  NEW  HORRORS  SHOCK  THE   PUBLIC. 

"  How  many  ships  have  you  examined  this  year?" 
was  Mr.  Garvan's  next  question. 

"*I  refuse  to  answer,"  said  the  witness. 

"  On  what  grounds  ?  n 

"  That  it  would  tend  to  incriminate  me." 

"  Were  you  the  inspector  of  the  hull  of  the  l  Gen- 
eral Slocum '  ?  " 

"  I  must  refuse  to  answer,"  again  muttered  Lund- 
berg  in  low  tones. 

"  On  what  grounds  ?  " 

"  That  it  would  tend  to  incriminate  me." 

"  Did  you  examine  the  (  General  Slocum  '  on  May 
6,  1904  ?  " 

"  I  refuse  to  answer  any  questions  because  I  don't 
know  what  date  it  was  and  it  might  incriminate  me." 

Mr.  Garvan  stepped  nearer  to  the  witness  and  again 
asked  : 

QUESTIONS  NOT  ANSWERED. 

"  Did  you  examine  the  l  General  Slocum  ?  '  " 

"  Yes,  sir.  I  sent  my  report  to  the  office,  and  that's 
all  I've  got  to  say." 

1  Did  you  report  that  there  were  2,550  good  life  pre- 
servers on  that  boat  ?  " 

"  I  refuse  to  answer  on  the  ground  that  it  might 
incriminate  me." 

"  Will  you  tell  this  jury  what  your  examination  of 
that  boat  was  like  ?  "   (Same  answer.) 

11  Did  you,  sir,  perform  an  honest  inspection  of  the 
'  General  Slocum  ?  '  "    (Same  answer.) 

Failing  to  get  but  the  one  answer  from  Lundberg 
Mr.  Garvan  turned  to   the  Coroner  and  said :  "  That  is 


NEW  HORRORS  SHOCK  THE  PUBLIC.  203 

all,  but  I  think  this  witness  should  be   detained  in  the 
House  of  Detention." 

"  I'll  place  him  there,"  said  Coroner  Berry. 

"I  would  ask  that  you  place  him  in  my  custody," 
said  his  lawyer. 

"No;  I  shall  send  him  to  the  House  of  Detention/ 
said  the  Coroner.  Mr.  Gilbert  then  asked  that  he  be  ad- 
milted  to  bail. 

"  Fix  the  bail  at  $500,"  said  the  Assistant  District 
Attorney,  and  Mr.  Gilbert  protested. 

u  This  man  will  not  run  away,"  he  said.    "It  is  unfair 
and  unprecedented  to  treat  a  public  officer  in  this   way." 

"He  maybe  a  public  officer  now,"  broke  in  Mr. 
Garvan,  "  but  I  hardly  believe  he  will  be  when  it  is 
known  that  he  has  refused  to  answer  these  questions." 

Lundberg  was  detained  in  the  custody  of  a  policeman 
to  await  the  arrival  of  a  bondsman. 

CREW   NEVER   DRILLED. 

When  Daniel  O'Neil  was  called  to  the  stand  as  the 
first  witness  at  the  Coroner's  inquest,  the  temporary 
court  room  in  the  Second  Battery's  armory,  at  Bathgate 
avenue  and  177th  street,  was  well  filled. 

O'Neil  is  twenty-four  years  old.  He  said  he  had 
never  worked  on  a  boat  until  last  April,  when  he  ob- 
tained employment  as  a  deck  hand  on  the  "  Slocum."  He 
had  never  seen  a  fire  drill,  and  nothing  had  ever  been 
done  in  his  presence  with  the  life  boats  or  the  fire  hose. 
At  the  time  of  Inspector  Lundberg' s  visit  to  the  boat  he 
had  seen  a  man  using  a  tape  measure  on  the  hurricane 
deck,  but  had  not  noticed  that  any  of  the  life  preservers 
were  removed  from  their  places. 

Mr.  Garvan  had  received  a  communication  declaring 


204  NEW  HORRORS  SHOCK  THE  PUBLIC. 

that  there  had  been  a  fire  in  the  forward  cabin  of  the 
"Slocum  "  on  the  day  before  the  accident,  bnt  none  of 
the  crew  questioned  had  any  knowledge  of  it.  O'Neil  said 
he  had  not  been  in  the  forward  cabin  at  all  on  Wednes- 
day morning,  the  day  of  the  accident.  He  had  helped  fci 
carry  five  barrels  of  glasses  aboard  the  evening  before, 
but  he  did  not  know  where  they  had  been  placed.  He  saw 
one  of  them  on  Wednesday  under  a  keg  of  beer. 

In  the  forward  cabin,  O'Neil  said,  were  stored  stools, 
old  rope,  awning,  wood,  oil,  paint,  some  life  preservers, 
charcoal  and  canvas.  There  was  no  regular  light  in  the 
place  but  the  door  was  left  open. 

O'Neil  was  on  the  port  gangway  amidship  when  he 
heard  a  shout  and  saw  dense  smoke.  The  mate,  Flana- 
gan, came  up  yelling.  O'Niel  helped  to  take  down  the 
hose,  and  after  handing  the  nozzle  to  another  deck  hand 
turned  on  the  water.  He  then  saw  the  water  rushing 
from  the  pipe  and  heard  Flanagan  call  for  another 
hose. 

COUPLING  DID  NOT  FIT. 

The  rubber  deck  hose  was  brought,  but  it  could  not 
be  used,  as  the  coupling  did  not  fit  on  the  standpipe.  At 
the  time  the  fire  was  discovered  he  believed  that  the  boat 
was  through  Hell  Gate. 

Q.  What  did  you  do  when  the  rubber  hose  was  put 
aside?  A.  With  Corcoran,  I  waved  my  hat  to  a  tug  pass- 
ing with  lighters.  Then  I  tried  to  pacify  the  crowd.  I 
saw  a  rowboat  coming  to  our  assistance  and  I  jumped  to 
help  the  man  in  it. 

Q.  Did  you  capsize  the  rowboat  ?  A.  It  capsized 
and  I  swam  ashore. 

Q.  Did  you  wear  a  life  preserver  ?     A.  No. 


NEW  HORRORS  SHOCK  THE  PUBLIC.  206 

Q.  Before  you  jumped  didn't  you  hear  the  man  in 
the  boat  cry  that  he  had  enough  aboard?  A.  I  heard 
him,  but  I  wanted  to  help  him. 

Q.  You  are  an  expert  swimmer  ?  A.  I  don't  think 
so. 

Everett  Brandow,  assistant  engineer,  testified  that 
he  had  worked  six  seasons  on  the  "Slocum."  There  was 
on  the  boat  a  valve  by  which  steam  could  be  turned  into 
the  fire  room,  but  there  were  no  arrangements  for  turn- 
ing on  steam  elsewhere.  The  "Slocurn"  left  the  Third 
street  pier  at  about  twenty  minutes  to  ten,  and  it  was 
about  half-past  ten  when  mate  Flanagan  reported  the 
fire. 

FULL  SPEED  THROUGH  HELL  GATE. 

He  said  the  boat  always  ran  at  full  speed  through 
Hell  Gate.  Before  the  alarm  he  had  been  told  that  the 
excursionists  did  not  wish  to  reach  their  destination  until 
one  o'clock,  and  the  pilot,  Van  Wart,  gave  the  signal 
"slow."  He  inferred  that  the  "Slocurn  "  had  passed  Hell 
Gate. 

After  the  fire  signal,  there  came  an  order  for  full 
speed,  then  one  sounded  to  stop,  and  later  one  to  go 
ahead.  The  next  order  was  to  "slow,''  the  final  one  was 
"full  speed,"  These  directions  were  so  fast  that  they  al- 
most came  together.  Brandow  believed  the  interval  be- 
tween each  one  had  been  four  or  five  seconds.  When 
the  boat  beached  he  stopped  the  machinery. 

Conklin,  the  chief  engineer,  started  for  the  donkey 
engine  room  on  the  first  alarm,  the  witness  said,  and 
Brandow  next  saw  him  on  North  Brother  Island. 

Brandow  jumped  just  forward  of  the  wheel.  The 
passengers  were  massed  aft,  where  there  was  no  fire   at 


206  NEW  HORRORS  SHOCK  THE  PUBLIC. 

that  time,  as  the  flames  were  all  forward.  The  assistant 
engineer  said  he  had  helped  to  pull  out  of  the  shallow 
water  a  little  girl  who  was  drowning. 

Edwin  N.  Weaver,  second  pilot,  testified  that  he  had 
been  a  licensed  pilot  since  Ma}^,  1900  ;  that  he  had 
served  five  or  six  years  on  the  "  General  Slocum," .  but 
had  never  seen  any  fire  drill  on  the  boat ;  did  not  know 
that  any  new  life  preservers  had  been  placed  on  the  ves- 
sel during  his  service  and  had  no  knowledge  of  any  ap- 
paratus or  equipment  for  turning  steam  into  the  hold  in 
case  of  fire. 

"As  the  second  pilot  of  the  'General  Slocum/  asked 
Mr.  Garvan,  "did  you  know  of  any  signals  giving  the 
order  to  turn  steam  into  the  hold  of  the  ship  in  case  of 
fire?" 

"  I  never  heard  of  such  signals  on  the  boat,"  he 
said. 

NO  CHANCE  TO  TURN  ON  STEAM. 

Q.  Was  there  any  apparatus  for  turning  steam  into 
the  hold  ?     A.  Not  to  my  knowledge,  sir. 

Q.  Did  you  ever  see  any  fire  drill  on  the  boat  ?  A. 
No,  sir. 

Q.  Do  you  think  the  Captain  could  have  had  such  a 
drill  without  your  knowledge  ?     A.  No,  sir. 

The  witness  described  the  hose  in  use  on  the  uSlo- 
cuin"  and  said  that  at  the  opening  of  the  season  he  was 
sent  to  purchase  100  feet  of  hose  for  the  after  main  deck 
and  bought  it  in  Park  Place,  paying  16  cents  a  foot. 

The  first  knowledge  of  the  fire  came  to  him  when  he 
was  standing  in  the  pilot  house  with  Van  Wert,  the  first 
pilot,  and  Captain  Van  Schaick. 

"We  were  just  three  lengths  past  the  Sunken  Mead- 


NEW  HORRORS  SHOCK  THE  PUBLIC.  2(17 

ows,"  he  said,  "when  Mate  Flanagan  called  up  the  tube, 
1  The  ship's  on  fire  forward.'  We  were  then  going  at  full 
speed.  The  Captain  said,  Til  go  down  and  see  about  it,' 
and  within  a  minute  he  came  back  and  said,  Tut  her  on 
North  Brother  Island  as  quick  as  you  can.'  I  grabbed 
the  whistle  and  kept  it  blowing  for  help  and  Van  Wert 
rang  the  fire  alarm  bells  on  the  decks.  In  a  very  short 
time  the  flames  and  smoke  were  rolling  up  over  the  hur- 
ricane decks  and  into  the  pilot  house.  I  had  closed  the 
windows  to  keep  the  flames  out." 

Q.  Did  you  see  any  effort  made  to  get  the  lifeboats 
loose  ?     A.I  did  not. 

Q.  Did  you  see  any  of  the  crew  on  the  hurricane 
deck  ?     A.  No,  sir. 

Coroner  Berry  then  asked  : — "  If  you  had  been  in 
charge  of  the  vessel,  where,  in  your  judgment  was  the 
best  place  to  beach  her  ?  " 

BEACHED  IN   BEST  PLACE. 

"  The  exact  spot  where  she  was  put,"  he  said  with 
much  emphasis." 

"Don't  you  think  Locust  Point,  at  129th  street, 
would  have  been  a  better  place  for  the  passengers  ?  " 

"  No  sir.  She  was  running  at  full  speed  with  the 
flood  tide  and  to  have  turned  her  there  would  have  re- 
quired from  five  to  eight  minutes  and  not  a  soul  would 
have  been  alive  to  tell  the  tale.  By  going  to  North 
Brother  we  turned  gradually  and  gave  the  passengers  a 
better  chance  to  escape. 

"  The  'General  Slocum'  was  the  best  equipped  boat 
of  the  kind  I  was  ever  on." 

When  Miss  M.  C.  Hall  was  summoned  as  a  witness 
several  bulky  bundles  of  ledgers  were  brought  forward 


208  NEW  HORRORS  SHOCK  THE  PUBLIC. 

by  court  attendants.  She  began  her  testimony  in  so  low 
a  voice  that  persons  close  to  her  could  not  hear.  She  has 
been  employed  by  the  Knickerbocker  Steamboat  Com- 
pany since  1890.  She  has  been  sole  bookkeeper  since 
1895.  She  now  acts  as  bookkeeper,  stenographer  and 
1  cashier. 

She  said  she  had  handed  several  papers  to  the  secre- 
tary of  the  company  for  Mr.  Barnaby  on  Monday  morn- 
ing. She  had  done  nothing  to  any  of  them  since  she 
was  told  to  get  them  on  Saturday.  She  remembered  that 
some  time  before  she  had  erased  the  name  of  the  "Grand 
Republic. " 

SEPARATE   ACCOUNTS  OF  STEAMERS. 

Q.  Why  did  you  do  that  ?  A.  I  tried  to  keep  the 
accounts  of  the  two  steamers  separate  and  to  avoid  mak- 
ing any  mistakes,  so  when  I  believed  that  supplies  for 
the  "Slocum"  were  billed  to  the  "  Grand  Republic"  I 
changed  the  name  to  keep  right. 

Q.  Is  that  true  ?     A,  (with  spirit)  Yes,  it  is  true, 

Q.  How  long  is  it  since  you  changed  these  bills  ? 
A,  I  do  not  remember.  It  has  been  a  common  occur- 
rence for  me  to  change  the  bills. 

Q.  Did  you  make  these  changes  within  two  months? 
A.  I  do  not  know. 

Q.  How  did  you  find  out  to  which  boat  the  charges 
should  be  made  ?  A,  By  consulting  one  of  the  captains, 
preferably  Captain  Pease. 

Miss  Hall  became  confused  when  she  was  asked  for 
details.  She  had  kept  separate  accounts  for  the  steam- 
ers, she  said,  yet  when  her  books  were  produced  she  de- 
clared that  there  was  no  way  for  her  to  tell  whether  any 
life  preservers  had  been  charged  to  the  account  of  the 


NEW   HORRORS  SHOCK  THE  PUBLIC.  209 

"General  Slocum"  since  1902.  Tier  system  of  book- 
keeping, she  then  explained,  only  gives  the  total 
amounts  for  repairs  by  months. 

By  searching  through  the  books  she  found  two  or 
three  places  where  she  had  used  acid  to  erase  entries. 
She  was  able  to  find  in  her  ledger  charges  against  the 
''Grand  Republic"  for  life  preservers  in  1902  and  1903 
covering  the  amounts  of  the  bills  that  she  had  altered. 
This  year's  purchases  have  not  been  posted  in  her  books, 
as  she  only  enters  them  either  when  the  bills  are  paid  or 
else  at  the  end  of  the  season.  She  expressed  herself  as 
certain  that  she  had  not  altered  the  bills  since  the  "Gen- 
eral Slocum"  disaster. 

WHY   BILLS  WERE   CHANGED. 

Q.  Now,  will  you  tell  me  why  you  changed  these 
last  bills  ?  A,  For  my  personal  assistance  when  the 
time  came  to  enter  the  bills.  All  purchases  from  the 
firm  of  David  Kahnweiler  &  Co.  were  billed  to  the  "Grand 
Republic."  I  wished  to  enter  them  right  after  speaking 
to  the  captains, 

Q.  But  why  did  you  insert  the  name  of  the  "  Slo- 
cum ?  "  A,  I  intended  to  find  out  later.  I  have  not  in- 
quired yet,  because  the  bills  were  not  paid. 

Q.  And  not  knowing  for  which  boat  the  life  preserv- 
ers were  intended,  you  changed  the  name  on  a  bill  dated 
May  19  ?  A.  Well,  you  see,  when  I  wanted  to  make  a 
change  I  was  accustomed  to  use  acid.  I  did  so  as  a  mat- 
ter of  convenience  in  this  case,  so  I  should  not  charge  all 
to  the  "Grand  Republic." 

Q.  Do  not  all  bills  for  supplies  give  the  name  of  the 
ship  for  which  they  are  intended  ?  Yes,  but  often  incor- 
rectly. 

~N.Y.  14. 


210  NEW   HORRORS  SHOCK  THE  PUBLIC. 

Miss  Hall  declared,  with  some  display  of  agitation, 
that  she  did  not  know  that  the  350  life-preservers  bought 
this  year  had  been  correctly  charged  to  the  "  Grand  Re- 
public," for  which  they  were  intended.  She  found  that 
her  books  showed  that  the  "Grand  Republic"  had  received 
all  the  life-preservers  bought  in  1902  and  1903. 

"  Can  you  now  tell  us  the  reason  why  you  took  the. 
name  of  the  "Grand  Republic"  from  the  bill  dated  May  19, 
1904?"  pressed  Mr.  Garvan. 

"I  couldn't  give  any,"  replied  Miss  Hall. 

vShe  denied  that  he  had  received  instructions  from 
any  person  to  alter  the  bills.  She  had  used  acid  for 
erasures  since  1891  or  1892.  Mr.  Barnaby,  she  said, 
examined  her  books  very  rarely  and  did  not  interfere  with 
her  system.  Even  if  she  changed  the  title  it  made  no 
difference,  as  all  went  into  one  account  at  the  end  of  the 
season.  Several  of  the  jurors  questioned  Miss  Hall.  She 
promised  to  look  for  other  bills  with  acid  erasures,  and 
left  the  court  room. 

LIFE   PRESERVERS   DELIVERED. 

Miss  Reba  Goldberg,  bookkeeper  for  the  firm  of 
David  Kahnweiler  &  Co,,  was  the  next  witness.  She 
testified  that  she  had  made  out  the  bills  offered  in  evi- 
dence and  that  she  had  written  "'Grand  Republic"  where 
u General  Slocuin"  had  been  substituted.  The  order  for 
'  the  life-preservers  had  been  given  by  Captain  J.  A.  Pease, 
of  the  "Grand  Republic,"  and  the  receipt  showed  that 
they  had  been  delivered  on  his  boat. 

Oscar  Kahnweiler,  a  member  of  the  firm,  said  he 
had  sold  about  2,250  life-preservers  for  use  on  the  "Slo- 
cuin" in  1 89 1.  He  was  quite  positive  that  he  had  billed 
none  to  the  boat  since  1895.   Before  selling  life-preservers 


NEW  HORRORS  SHOCK  THE  PUBLIC.  I'll 

they  must  have  the  government  inspector's  stamp.  Life- 
preservers  that  are  kept  properly  may  last  twenty  years. 
He  had  seen  some  on  the  steamer  "Dean  Richmond"  in 
good  condition  after  twenty-eight  or  thirty  years'  service. 

Mr.  Garvan  brought  from  a  back  room  a  wretched 
specimen  of  a  life-preserver,  with  the  canvas  torn  in  a 
dozen  places  and  the  granulated  cork  stuffing  falling  out 
whenever  it  was  moved.  It  was  one  of  those  taken  from 
the  "  Slocum." 

"  Do  you  think  that  this  life-preserver's  life  is  over?" 
he  inquired,  showing  it  to  the  witness. 

Mr.  Kahnweiler  examined  it  critically  and  said: — 
11 1  would  be  willing  to  trust  to  that  in  the  water  now  with 
my  arms  and  feet  tied  together." 

OLD,   ROTTEN   LIFE    PRESERVERS. 

"  But  you  could  float  with  your  hands  and  feet  tied 
without  this?"  suggested  Mr.  Garvan,  tearing  an  end  of 
the  strap. 

"  Oh!  yes,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Then  you  mean  that  this  would  not  sink  you  ?" 

"  I  would  not  float  with  it,  but  go  into  the  water  face 
downward." 

Mr.  Kahnweiler  expressed  confidence  that  such  life- 
preservers  would  be  sufficient  to  support  persons  in  the 
water.  After  explaining  the  regulation  test  he  was 
excused. 

From  daylight  until  midnight  the  East  River  con- 
tinued to  give  up  victims  of  the  disaster.  At  times  the 
smaller  patrol  boats  were  so  heavily  laden  with  those  re- 
covered that  they  had  difficulty  in  making  the  shore.  At 
six  o'clock  i  n  bodies  had  been  taken  from  the  water. 

Explosives  were  used  freely  in  bringing  the  bodies 


NEW   HORRORS  SHOCK  THE  PUBLIC. 

to  the  surface.  Heavy  charges  of  dynamite  were  set  off 
all  around  the  wreck  of  the  "  General  Slocum,"  and  in 
addition  to  this  two  field  guns  from  the  Second  Battery 
were  taken  out  on  a  float  at  eleven  o'clock  and  fired  at 
frequent  intervals  along  part  of  the  path  of  the  ill-fated 
vessel.  Launches  and  other  boats  followed  the  float  closely, 
and  at  times  the  entire  fleet  was  unable  to  take  care  of 
the  bodies  as  fast  as  they  appeared. 

Shortly  after  noon  the  guns  fired  several  shots  near 
the  wreck  of  the  "  Slocum  "  and  sixteen  bodies  rose  to 
the  surface.  They  had  been  lying  in  a  deep  hole  near  the 
sunken  hull.  Thirteen  bodies  were  found  along  the 
shores  of  College  Point.  More  were  found  at  Whitestone. 
Most  of  the  bodies  recovered  were  those  of  women  and 
children. 

BODIES  IN  PADDLE  BOXES. 

The  bodies  of  two  women  were  chopped  out  of  the 
paddle  boxes  of  the  "  General  Slocum  "  during  the  after 
noon  and  the  hulk  was  raised  to  the  surface  and  towed 
to  City  Island  during  the  night. 

Coroner  Berry  found  it  necessary  to  issue  a  new 
order  for  the  identification  of  the  dead  in  order  to  prevent 
ghouls  from  obtaining  possession  of  bodies  or  the  pur- 
pose of  getting  valuables  which  belonged  to  them. 

The  Coroner  admitted  that  in  several  instances 
efforts  had  been  made  to  steal  the  tags  from  the  bodies 
and  in  that  way  get  their  hands  on  the  jewelry  that  be- 
longed to  these  bodies.  "Because  of  this,"  said  he,  "I 
have  instituted  a  system  by  which  every  person  who 
claims  a  body  must  himself  be  satisfactorily  identified. 
We  now  have  at  least  $250,000  worth  of  jewelry  and 
valuables  taken  from  the  bodies." 


NEW  HORRORS  SHOCK  THE   PUBLIC.  213 

Orders  were  received  at  North  Brother  Island  at 
night  that  all  bodies  recovered  thereafter  should  be  placed 
in  metallic  coffins  and  sent  at  once  to  the  Lutheran  Cem- 
etery and  buried  in  the  plot  set  apart  for  the  unknown 
dead. 

The  location  where  each  body  is  buried  would  be 
carefullv  marked,  so  that  if  bodies  could  be  afterward 
identified  from  the  clothing  or  effects,  which  would  be 
kept  and  numbered,  the  bodies  could  be  disinterred  and 
buried  elsewhere  if  the  relatives  so  desired. 

Her  wedding  ring  led  to  the  identification  of  Mrs. 
Henry  Schmidt,  whose  body  was  found  floating  off  Col- 
lege Point-  There  was  no  clew  to  her  identity  except 
in  the  inscription  "  H.  S-  to  E-  E-,  1903,"  engraved  in 
the  ring,  no  woman  of  her  description  having  been  re- 
ported missing. 

LOOKING    UP  RECORDS. 

At  the  suggestion  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Fieldman,  who 
was  in  constant  attendance  at  St.  Mark's  Church,  appli- 
cation was  made  to  the  Bureau  of  Vital  Statistics,  and  it 
was  there  ascertained  that  the  only  persons  married 
during  the  year  1903  having  the  initials  found  in  the 
ring  were  Henry  Schmidt  and  Emma  Eckhardt,  who 
were  married  on  March  15  in  that  year  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
J.  Geyer. 

Detective  Ross,  of  Inspector  Schmittberger's  staff, 
who  obtained  the  report,  found  Henry  Schmidt,  a  grocer. 
Mr.  Schmidt  said  his  wife  had  gone  on  the  picnic  and 
her  body  had  not  been  found.  He  had  not  reported  the 
matter  and  his  wife's  name  was  therefore  not  on  the  list 
of  the  missing. 

''President  Roosevelt  sent  a  contribution  of  $500   to 


214  NEW  HORRORS  SHOCK  THE  PUBLIC. 

the  Relief  Fund,"  Mr.  Herman  Ridder  announced  after 
a  meeting  of  the  Relief  Committee,  "and  Archbishop 
Farley  sent  $100."  In  regard  to  the  sum  that  Mr. 
Rockefeller  was  to  give,  Mr.  Ridder  stated  that  no  definite 
promise  had  been  made  by  him. 

"We  wish  to  have  it  well  understood,"  he  added, 
"  that  no  one  is  authorized  to  make  collections  for  this 
committee.  The  public  is  warned  not  to  give  money  to 
any  one  except  Mr.  Shiff. 

"  We  are  having  considerable  difficulty  in  learning 
where  need  exists.  Persons  who  have  been  sorely  afflict- 
ed and  who  have  never  asked  for  aid  suffer  in  silence. 
They  will  not  let  us  know  of  their  condition.  We  have 
asked  the  police  and  public  school  teachers  to  help  us  in 
discovering  needy  cases,  and  we  wish  to  make  a  public 
appeal  that  all  such  cases  be  reported  at  the  church,  or 
by  telegraph  or  telephone,  at  our  expense." 

STUFFED  WITH   BULLRUSHES. 

Life  preservers  made  of  bullrushes  which  the  Brook- 
lyn police  believed  were  a  part  of  the  equipment  of  the 
"  General  Slocum  "  were  picked  up  along  the  Brooklyn 
waterfront.  Several  of  the  preservers  were  seen  drift- 
ing down  the  river  and  some  were  fished  out  of  the  water. 

The  men  were  surprised  when  they  opened  one  of 
them  and  saw  that  instead  of  cork  the  so-called  pre- 
servers was  made  up  of  nothing  but  rushes.  The  canvas 
was  rotten.  The  rushes  or  sea  grass  were  a  little  larger 
in  diameter  than  a  lead  pencil,  and  the  interior  was  filled 
with  a  porous  matter,  which  apparently  absorbs  water 
like  a  sponge,  for  the  water  could  be  squeezed  out  of  the 
ends. 

Iu  memory  of  the   "Slocum's"  victims   the   Alder- 


NEW  HORRORS  SHOCK  THE  PUBLIC.  216 

manic  Chamber  was  draped  with  mourning,  and  orders 
were  given  to  drape  the  entire  City  Hall. 

That  the  administration  at  Washington  was  deter- 
mined not  only  to  probe  the  official  responsibility  for  the 
41  Slocuin  "  disaster  but  so  to  improve  the  steamship  in- 
spection laws  that  such  calamities  would  be  avoided  in 
the  future  was  shown  in  a  statement  issued  at  the  De- 
partment of  Commerce  and  Labor.  The  subject  of  the 
disaster  and  the  revision  of  the  laws  was  the  most  im- 
portant topic  discussed  at  the  Cabinet  meeting.  The 
statement  is  in  part  as  follows  : 

"  In  response  to  Secretary  Cortelyou's  request,  the 
President  directed  the  assignment  of  an  officer  of  the 
army  and  an  officer  of  the  navy  to  the  commission  to 
investigate  the  disaster  to  the  l  General  Slocum.' 

LAW  REQUIRES  INVESTIGATION. 

"  The  investigation  by  the  local  Board  of  In- 
spectors, is  not  made  under  the  order  of  the  Secretary, 
but  it  is  absolutely  compulsory  by  Section  4,450  of  the 
Revised  Statutes,  and  this  investigation  is  directed 
solely  at  the  question  of  revocation  of  the  licenses  of 
the  vessel's  officers. 

"  Persons  have  confused  this  investigation  with  the 
one  to  be  made  by  the  commission  just  appointed  and 
have  supposed  that  the  investigation  by  the  local  Board 
was  ordered  by  the  Secretary  and  intended  to  cover 
the  whole  subject. 

"  The  difference  between  these  two  investigations, 
and  the  fact  that  the  one  by  the  local  Board  is  required 
by  statute,  should  be  made  clear." 

A  letter  from  Secretary  Cortelyou  to  Mayor  Mc- 
C  lei  Ian  regarding  the     Mayor's  request  for  a    reinspec* 


216  NEW  HORRORS  SHOCK  THE  PUBLIC. 

tion  was  made  public.  The  Secretary  said,  "I  had 
already  ordered  a  reinspection,"  and  called  attention  in 
that  connection  to  general  orders  sent  to  collectors  and 
inspectors  on  May  23  directing  rigid  inspections  of  ex- 
cursion boats,  particularly  just  before  holidays,  when 
there  are  many  excursions. 

In  conclusion,  the  department  made  public  a  letter 
signed  by  Secretary  Cortelyou  declaring  that  this  in- 
vestigation would  be  made  thorough  and  the  Federal 
officers  held  to  strict  accountability. 

The  following  was  communicated  by  the  Associated 
Press  of  Philadelphia: 

LETTER  FROM  ADMIRAL  MELVILLE. 

"  Filed  away  in  the  archives  at  Washington  is  a  let- 
ter written  by  the  then  chief  of  engineers  of  the  navy, 
Rear  Admiral  George  W.  Melville,  that  is  interesting 
reading  in  view  of  the  disaster  on  the  i  General  Slo- 
cum.'  It  is  couched  in  vigorous  language  and  without 
mincing  words,  declares  the  entire  system  of  inspection, 
the  laws  and  the  manner  of  enforcing  such  laws  loose  to 
such  a  degree  as  to  be  a  menace  to  life.  As  a  result  of 
this  letter  a  commission  was  appointed  to  make  a 
thorough  investigation. 

"Rear  Admiral  Melville  was  asked  if  he  would  point 
out  where  the  laws  and  their  enforcement  are  so  inade- 
quate. He  smiled  grimly.  { I  guess  I  had  better  not,' 
he  said :  ( there  will  be  courts  of  inquiry  and  coroners' 
inquests  and  investigations  enough  without  my  getting 
into  a  controversy.'  " 

"  Do  the  defects  that  existed  then  exist  to-day  ?  " 
was  asked. 

"Certainly,"  was  the  repl}7. 


NEW  HORRORS  SHOCK  THE  PUBLIC.  217 

11  Are  the  defects  existing  due  to  the  law  or  its 
manner  of  enforcement?  " 

wt  They  are  due  to  a  defective  law  and  a  non-enforce- 
ment of  that  law.  The  department  to-day  has  an  in- 
sufficient number  of  reliable,  responsible  inspectors." 

A  New  York  newspaper  commented  as  follows  on 
the  terrible  calamity: 

"  Bullrush  life-preservers  and  fire  hose  at  sixteen 
cents  a  foot  formed  part  of  the  life-saving  and  fire-fight- 
ing equipment  of  the  '  General  Slocum  '  and  explains 
in  some  slight  degree  the  fearful  loss  of  life. 

PRICE  OF  FIRE   HOSE. 

"  The  bullrush  life-preservers  were  not  placed  in 
evidence  at  the  inquest  held  by  Coroner  Berry  in  the 
Armory  of  the  Second  Battery,  N.  Y.  N.  G.,  at  Bathgate 
avenue  and  One  Hundred  and  Seventy-seventh  street,  in 
The  Bronx,  but  a  bill  from  the  New  York  Belting  and 
Packing  Company  showed  that  the  fire  hose  had  been 
bought  at  forty  cents  a  foot,  with  60  per  cent.  off.  The 
lives  of  the  passengers  upon  the  'Slocum J  are  thus 
shown  to  have  depended  upon  fire  hose  that  cost  less 
than  the  cheapest  garden  hose,  and  was  far  more  worth- 
less. 

"  This  and  the  strange  spectacle  of  a  United  States 
Inspector  refusing  to  answer  the  questions  asked  him 
for  fear  th^y  might  incriminate  him  formed  the  most 
striking  feature  of  the  inques^. 

M  Inspector  Lundberg,  by  advice  of  his  lawyer,  re- 
fused to  answed  the  questions  of  Mr.  Garvan,  and  vol- 
untarily placed  himself  in  the  position  of  a  defendant. 
He  was  placed  under  arrest  as  a  witness,  and  ordered 
detained  in  the  House  of  Detention  for  witnesses,  but  was 


218  NEW   HORRORS  SHOCK  THE  PUBtlC. 

later  released  oil  $500  bail.  By  the  investigation  was 
developed  fully  the  fact  that  there  had  never  been  a  fire 
drill  on  the  '  Slocum.' 

"A  picked  up  crew  of  truck  drivers,  dock  laborers, 
housesiniths  and  land  workers  of  all  classes  were  en- 
trusted with  the  lives  of  thousands  of  woman  and  chil- 
dren daily, 

li  Not  one  of  them  had  ever  been  instructed  in  a  fire 
drill,  or  had  ever  learned  the  station  he  was  to  take  or 
the  duties  he  was  to  perform  in  case  of  fire  or  panic. 
Only  a  few  of  them  were  in  any  way  familiar  with  the 
boat.  Not  one  of  them  saved  a  human  life  when  the 
'  Slocum '  burned. 

DAMAGING  TESTIMONY. 

"  One,  a  land  laborer,  a  few  days  on  the  boat,  testified 
that  he  leaped  into  the  lifeboat  when  it  was  lowered  and 
swamped  it.  The  captain,  according  to  the  testimony 
of  the  second  pilot,  Edwin  Weaver,  was  not  in  the  pilot 
house  at  any  time  after  the  fire  was  reported.  The 
engineer,  according  to  the  testimony  of  the  assistant 
engineer,  Brandow,  was  not  in  the  engine  room  after  the 
fire  was  reported. 

"The  mate,  Edward  Flanagan,  a  housesmith,  acting 
as  mate  without  a  license,  in  violation  of  law,  did  noth- 
ing toward  marshalling  the  crew  and  instructing  them 
as  to  what  they  should  do  after  the  fake  fire  hose,  at  six- 
teen cents  a  foot,  had  burst,  and  their  first  futile,  senseless 
effort  to  use  the  hose  without  taking  out  the  false  washer 
had  failed  of  effect.  He  made  no  attempt  to  use  the  hose 
attached  to  the  other  standpipe  forty  feet  aft  of  the  for- 
ward standpipe,  and  on  the  starboard  side,  clear  of  all 
flames,  according  to  the  testimony  of  all  the  witnesses. 


NEW   HORRORS  SHOCK  THE  PUBLIC.  219 

11  Rvcry  member  of  the  crew  lias  sworn  that  the 
flames  spread  along  the  port  side.  The  after  starboard 
standpipe  was  clear  and  there  were  no  flames  in  that  sec- 
tion, and  yet  the  demoralized,  panic-stricken  crew  made  no 
effort  to  use  it,  but  fled  wildly  to  other  parts  of  the  ship, 
and  either  leaped  into  the  water  or  jumped  into  the  only 
boat  lowered  and  swamped  it,  drowning  a  score  of  women 
and  children. 

"  And  added  to  these  evidences  of  criminal  economy 
was  the  unpleasant  spectacle  of  the  United  States  Steam- 
boat Inspector  responsible  for  the  condition  of  the  appa- 
ratus on  board  the  'Slocum'  deliberately  refusing  to  tes- 
tify or  in  any  manner  aid  the  Coroner  and  the  Assistant 
District- Attorney  in  ascertaining  the  facts  connected  with 
the  frightful  catastrophe. 

EXPERT  ON   LIFE   PRESERVERS. 

"  In  this  attitude  he  is  supported  apparently  by  his 
superior,  Robert  S.  Rodie,  Supervising  Steamboat  In- 
spector of  this  division.  Mr.  Rodie  has  refused  to  make 
any  statement  whatever  concerning  the  'Slocum' disas- 
ter. He  spent  niuch  time  examining  life  preservers  and 
in  preparing  to  qualify  as  an  expert  concerning  them. 

"That  the  fire  on  the  '  Slocum  '  must  be  regarded  as  a 
national  calamity  was  shown  by  the  appointment  of  a 
commission  of  investigation  by  Secretary  Cortelyou  of 
the  Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor.  The  investi- 
gation will  be  entirely  independent  of  that  of  the  local 
board  of  steamboat  inspectors.  The  Second  Battery  of  the 
National  Guard  fired  cannon  across  the  waters  near  the 
wreck  and  thus  brought  up  many  bodies." 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  STEAMBOAT  A  DEATH  TRAP. 

A  T  the  Coroner's  inquest  on  the  second  day  an 
**•  important  part  of  the  testimony  related  to  the  por- 
ter's visit  to  the  storeroom  with  a  lighted  lamp.  This  room 
was  filled  with  inflammable  stuff  and  it  is  supposed  that 
in  or  near  it  the  fire  originated.  Testimony  regarding 
the  inadequacy  of  protection  against  fire  existing  on  the 
vessel  and  the  age  and  poor  condition  of  the  life-preser- 
vers was  corroborative  of  what  had  already  been  brought 
out. 

While  life-preservers  that  were  falling  to  pieces 
were  being  taken  from  the  racks  of  the  steamer  "  General 
Slocum  "  from  time  to  time,  no  effort  was  made  to  replace 
them  and  those  that  were  condemned  were  merely 
thrown  into  the  forward  cabin  or  under  the  bunks  in  the 
forecastle.  Formal  admission  was  made  by  the  Knicker- 
bocker Steamboat  Company  at  the  inquest  before  Coroner 
Joseph  I!  Berry,  in  The  Bronx,  that  no  new  life-preservers 
had  been  bought  for  the  steamer  since  1895. 

Assistant  District  Attorney  Francis  P.  Garvan,  who 
examined  all  the  witnesses,  showed  that  the  mate  of  the 
boat,  Edward  Flanagan,  has  never  seen  a  life-preserver 
aboard  bearing  a  later  date  of  inspection  than  1891,  the 
year  that  the  "  Slocum  "  was  launched. 

Mr.  Garvan  insisted  in  the  Coroner's  court  that  the 

bills  for  life-preservers  introduced  by  Frank  A.  Barnaby, 

president  of  the  steamboat  company,  had  been  presented 

in  bad  faith.     Mr.  Barnaby  was  recalled  to  the  witness 

220 


THE  STEAMBOAT  A   DEATH  TRAP.  221 

stand,  and  he  modified  his  original  statements,  not  hav- 
ing been  able  to  show  that  any  of  the  fire  fighting  appa- 
ratus purchased  has  been  placed  aboard  the  "Slocum" 
for  its  safety. 

In  addition  to  the  occasion  when  a  few  life-preser- 
vers were  condemned  by  United  States  Inspector  Lund- 
berg,  at  the  time  of  his  official  visit,  in  May,  when  the 
inspector  had  poked  a  cane  through  several  and  instructed 
the  mate  to  remove  them,  the  attention  of  the  mate  had 
been  directed  by  a  deck  hand  before  the  disaster  to  a  life- 
belt that  was  falling  apart  in  the  rack.  This  man  pulled 
down  some  of  the  life-preservers  at  the  time  of  the  dis- 
aster and  noticed  holes  in  them. 

PRISONER'S   BAIL  CONTINUED. 

Lundberg,  who  had  been  held  in  $500  bail  as  a  wit- 
ness, was  not  recalled  during  the  day.  His  bail  was 
continued,  so  that  he  would  be  kept  on  hand  until  the 
inquest  was  concluded. 

Evidence  was  multiplied  that  the  ' 'General  Slocum" 
was  not  equipped  in  any  way  for  fighting  a  fire.  Cheap 
new  fire  hose  had  been  provided  this  year,  but  it  had  not 
been  tested  in  any  way,  either  by  the  inspectors  or  the 
officers  of  the  boat. 

When  the  emergency  arose,  the  hose  could  not  be 
used ;  it  was  kinked  and  twisted,  the  coupling  to  the 
standpipe  slid  off  and  the  nozzle  could  not  be  attached . 
According  to  the  testimony  of  the  mate  this  hose  cost 
sixteen  cents  a  foot.  The  commodore  of  the  Knicker- 
bocker fleet,  Captain  J.  A.  Pease,  who  had  not  heard  this 
figure  given,  declared  with  emphasis  that  good  hose  could 
not  be  bought  at  that  price. 

Great  progress  was  made  during  the  day,  and  at  the 


222  THE  STEAMBOAT  A  DEATH  TRAP. 

conclusion  of  the  session  Mr.  Garvan  said  lie  hoped  to 
bring  the  inquest  to  an  end  next  day. 

The  Rev.  Julius  Schultz,  pastor  of  St.  Luke's 
Lutheran  Church,  of  Erie,  Pa.,  was  called  to  the  witness 
stand  when  the  inquest  opened.  He  told  a  graphic  story 
of  the  panic  on  the  "  Slocum "  on  June  15.  He  had 
attended  the  excursion,  and  his  first  warning  was  the 
sight  of  flames  shooting  out  of  a  gangway.  There  had 
been  up  to  that  time  no  alarms  and  no  signals,  and  the 
children  were  romping  about.  Many  of  them  were  on  the 
promenade  deck,  playing  bean  bag  and  j  limping  rope. 

He  saw  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  George  Haas  advancing, 
apparently  in  great  excitement,  and  he  went  aft,  where 
there  was  the  greatest  crowd,  to  see  if  he  could  render 
any  assistance. 

CALLED   LOUDLY   FOR   HELP. 

"  My  first  apprehension  of  real  danger,"  continued 
Mr.  Schultz,  "  was  when  I  saw  a  deck  hand  come  running 
from  the  cabin.  Women  and  children  rushed  to  him  and 
called  to  him  for  help.  He  brushed  them  aside  and 
answered  their  appeals  gruffly.  He  pushed  through  the 
crowd,  mounted  the  rail  and  jumped  overboard.  Several 
little  children  then  jumped  into  the  water.  I  held  one 
girl  back  and  told  her  to  wait  for  a  tug,  which  was 
approaching. 

"I  pulled  down  a  life  preserver  and  as  the  strap 
broke  with  the  weight,  I  thought  it  was  useless  and 
threw  it  down.  All  were  strapped  to  the  ceiling  beyond 
the  reach  of  the  women.  I  saw  but  one  deck  hand 
besides  the  one  who  jumped;  this  one  had  a  hose,  but 
no  water  was  coming  from  it." 

Benjamin  F.  Conklin,  for  twelve    years    chief  engi- 


THE  STEAMBOAT  A  DEATH  TRAP. 

neer  of  the  "Slocum,"  made  several  important  admissions. 
He  said  the  only  steam  pipe  leaving  the  engine  room  led 
to  the  fire  room,  and  there  was  no  valve  by  which  steam 
could  be  forced  into  the  forward  cabin  in  case  of  the  out- 
break of  fire. 

Q.  Do  you  know  that  the  law  required  steam  pipes 
to  each  compartment  in  the  hold  ?  A.  No,  sir  ;  I  never 
heard  of  it. 

Q.  Were  there  any  hand  pumps  on  board  ?  A.  Yes, 
two,  forward  and  aft  ? 

Q.  Were  they  worked  in  the  fire  ?  A.  Not  that  I 
know  of. 

RUNNING  VERY   SLOWLY. 

He  said  the  "  Slocum"  had  been  running  very  slowly 
up  the  river  at  a  rate  of  about  six  miles  an  hour,  and  had 
been  stopped  several  times  on  account  of  passing  vessels. 
The  speed  was  not  increased  going  through  Hell  Gate. 
He  was  notified  by  Flanagan  that  there  was  a  fire  for- 
ward, but  nothing  was  said  about  pumps.  He  told  the 
assistant  engineer  to  take  charge  of  the  engine.  He  then 
went  to  the  donkey  engine  to  connect  it  with  the  pump, 
and  he  remained  there  until  he  was  driven  away  by  the 
smoke.  He  had  no  notice  that  the  pumps  were  not 
working. 

Q.  Was  the  hose  attached  to  the  standpipe?  A. 
We  always  kept  it  so. 

Q.  Could  you  tell  if  the  hose  was  being  used  ?  A. 
That  was  my  impression. 

Q.  Isn't  it  a  fact  that  as  soon  as  you  had  turned  on 
the  water  3-011  jumped  on  a  passing  tug?     A.   No,  sir. 

Q.  What  did  3^011  do  after  you  deserted  your  post  ? 
A.  I  tried  to  assist  some  passengers  ;  some  of  them  after- 


221  THE  STEAMBOAT  A  DEATH  TRAP. 

ward  picked  me  up  and  carried  me  over  to  a  tug  or  some 
other  vessel. 

Q.  That  was  before  the  "  Slocum  "  reached  North 
Brother  Island  ?     A.  No  ;  it  was  after  she  had  struck. 

Q.  Do  you  know  if  any  fire  drills  were  held  on  the 
"  Slocum  "  this  year?     A,  I  do  not. 

In  answer  to  questions  of  jurors,  Conklin  said  he  had 
not  seen  or  heard  of  Captain  Van  Schaick  after  the  fire 
began. 

The  nozzle  of  the  fire  hose  was  i  y&  inches  ;  he  had 
not  been  sufficiently  interested  to  test  if  the  hose  and  pipe 
could  stand  the  pressure.  He  was  certain  that  United 
States  inspectors  had  not  tested  the  hose.  While  he  had 
not  examined  the  hose,  he  knew  that  it  was  similar  to 
that  used  on  other  steamers. 

DECLARES  IT  WAS  GOOD. 

"  How  did  the  fire  apparatus  on  the  "  General  Slo- 
cum "  compare  with  that  on  other  river  boats  ?"  asked 
Terence  J.  McManus,  counsel  for  the  Knickerbocker 
Steamboat  Company. 

"It  was  as  good  as  any  I  ever  saw  on  any  boat  I  was 
ever  on,"  replied  Conklin. 

"  Do  you  think  the  same  of  the  crew  ?"  inquired  Mr. 
Garvan,  with  a  sarcastic  smile. 

"So  far  as  I  know,"  was  the  non-committal   answer. 

Conklin  thought  that  this  year's  boiler  inspection 
had  been  extremely  careful  and  rigid.  When  he  had 
concluded  Mr.  McManus,  on  behalf  of  the  steamboat  com- 
pany, made  the  admission  that  no  new  life  preservers  had 
been  placed  on  the  "Slocum"  since  1895.  Former  Judge 
A.  J.   Dittenhoefer,  personal   counsel   for  Mr.  Barnaby, 


THE  STEAMBOAT  A  DEATH  TRAP,  225 

president  of  the  company,   said   he    would    make   no  ad- 
mission, as  he  had  no  personal  knowledge. 

Miss,  M,  C.  Hall,  bookkeeper,  stenographer  and  cash- 
ier of  the  company,  seemed  distressed  when  she  was  again 
placed  on  the  witness  stand  to  submit  to  questions  about 
the  erasure  of  the  name  of  the  "Grand  Republic  "  from 
bills  for  life  preservers,  Mr.  McManus  declared  that 
there  was  no  necessity  for  examining  her,  in  view  of  his 
admission, 

41  It  looks  as  though  the  officers  were  trying  to  shirk 
responsibility  and  to  place  it  on  the  corporation,''  com- 
mented Coroner  Berry. 

"We  are  not  attempting  to  shirk,"  cried  Mr,  Ditten- 
hoefer.     "  We  are  standing  on  our  rights." 

"Any  officer  of  any  corporation  could  be  placed  in 
this  same  position,"  interjected  Mr,  McManus. 

GETTING  AT  THE   TRUTH. 

"We  wish  to  get  to  the  truth,''  continued  Mr,  EKtten- 
hoefer,  "and  the  Court  should  not  show  animus." 

Miss  Hall  had  to  answer  the  questions.  She  said 
she  had  been  unable  to  find  other  original  bills  from 
which  she  had  erased  the  name  of  an  individual  boat. 

Q.  Tell  why  you  made  the  alteration.  A.  I  took 
the  name  off  because  I  am  very  busy  in  July  and  August 
and  I  am  apt  to  make  a  mistake  by  charging  every  tiling 
to  one  vessel,  so  I  removed  the  name  to  find  out  what 
portion  should  be  charged  to  the  "Grand  Republic. " 

Q.  (By  a  juror).  How  came  you  to  take  off  the 
name  before  you  found  out  ?  A.  I  understood  that  part 
of  the  life-preservers  were  for  the  "Slocum." 

Q.  How  did  you  understand  it?     A.    I  suppose  frpm 

something  Captain  Pease  said. 
N.v.  ir> 


226  THE  STEAMBOAT  A  DEATH  TRAP. 

Miss  Hall  said  she  believed  Captain  Pease  had  said 
the  "  Slocum "  needed  life-preservers.  Then  she  saw 
him  holding  a  sample  and  he  said  he  would  buy  some. 

"  How  do  yon  get  your  accounts  straight  by  guess- 
ing ?  "  asked  a  juror. 

"  They  are  not  always  straight,"  Miss  Hall  replied 
helplessly. 

She  could  say  only  that  she  had  understood  from 
Captain  Pease  that  some  of  the  life-preservers  were  to 
go  to  the  "  Slocum."  She  had  not  learned  to  the  con- 
trary until  last.  It  merely  had  not  suited  her  con- 
venience to  alter  the  names  on  other  bills.  She  could 
not  explain  why  she  had  just  told  Mr.  Garvan  that  all 
the  alterations  had  been  made  more  than  a  year  before, 
while  one  of  the  bills  was  dated  May  9th: 

CALLED   ON  TO  EXPLAIN. 

James  K.  Atkinson,  secretary  of  the  company,  was 
recalled.  At  the  outset  he  did  not  wish  to  identify  a  list 
of  stockholders  which  he  had  prepared,  saying  :  "It  has 
been  in  other  hands  since  it  left  mine  and  I  wouldn't 
want  to  take  any  chances  now,  as  there  have  been  so 
many  suggestions  made." 

Mr.  Barnaby  was  then  called  upon  for  explanations 
of  his  original  testimony.  On  Monday  he  said  he  had 
been  informed  by  "  everybody  connected  with  the  boat" 
that  the  life-preservers  represented  by  the  five  bills  in 
evidence  had  been  bought  for  the  "  Slocum."  With 
great  hesitation  he  declared  that  he  had  not  obtained  the 
information  from  everybody. 

Q.  Who  told  you?  A.  (After  a  pause).  I  was  told 
by  Miss  Hall  first 

Q.   By  any  one   else  ?      A,  Yes,   by  some  one   who 


THE  STEAMBOAT  A   DEATH  TRAP  227 

had  seen  Captain  Van  Schaick.  I  think  it  was  Mr- 
Parks.  He  said  Van  Schaick  had  spoken  to  him  about 
having  new  life-preservers  on  the  boat. 

Q.  Can  yon  tell  us  anyone  else?  A.  Miss  Hall 
said  they  had  all  been  bought, 

Mr.  Dittenhoefer  advised  his  client  not  to  answer 
further  questions  and  not  to  be  bulldozed,  but  Mr.  Bar- 
naby  continued  in  the  same  strain.  He  had  not  said 
originally  that  only  part  of  the  life-preservers  had  been 
placed  on  the  "Slocum."  His  understanding  had  been 
that  all  were  intended  for  that  boat. 

aOn  what  did  you  found  your  understanding?" 
pursued  Mr.  Garvan. 

"My  advice  is  not  to  answer,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Dit- 
tenhoefer. 

DOING   HIS   LEVEL   BEST. 

Mr.  Barnaby  seem  distressed.  Mr.  Garvan  stuck  to 
this  line,  saying  he  had  asked  for  the  books  and  had 
obtained  instead  these  bills,  which  Miss  Hall  had  under- 
stood to  represent  in  part  material  for  the  u  Slocum," 
and  which  the  president  had  asserted  to  be  wholly  for 
the  "Slocum,"  until  there  was  proof  that  all  had  gone 
to  the  "Grand  Republic."  Mr.  Barnaby  declared,  "I 
am  doing  my  level   best  to  find  out." 

M  Don't  you  know  that  men  from  my  office  went  to 
the  'Grand  Republic'  the  other  night  and  counted  every 
one  of  the  new  life-preservers  represented  by  these 
bills  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Garvan. 

While  Mr.  Barnaby  was  answering  in  the  negative, 
Air.  Me  Man  us  said  : 

"Your  men  also  stole  our  log  book." 

Mr.  Garvan   seemed   annoyed   as   he   retorted:      "I 


228  THE  STEAMBOAT  A  DEATH  TRAP. 

say  that  this  man  came  here  in  bad  faith  and  tried  to 
prove  that  life  preservers  bonght  for  the  "  Grand  Repub- 
lic" had  been  placed  on  the  "Slocum." 

To  a  juror  Mr.  Barnaby  said  he  understood  his 
responsibilities,  but  he  had  left  the  purchase  of  supplies 
to  the  captains  of  the  two  boats. 

"  Did  you  understand  that  sixteen  cent  hose  would 
not  fight  fire?  "  was  Mr.  Garvan's  last  question. 

"  I  know  little  about  hose,"  was  the  reply. 

"  There's  something  doing  up  forward,"  was  a  remark 
Charles  A.  Lang  overheard  on  the  deck  as  the  boat  was 
passing  Fifty-seventh  street,  but  he  told  the  Coroner  he 
didn't  see  any  fire  until  Ninety-fourth  street,  and  he 
couldn't  be  sure  that  the  remark  had  any  real  signifi- 
cance. He  was  the  first  of  the  passengers  on  the  excur- 
sion to  be  placed  on  the  stand.  He  said  he  saw  no  effort 
on  the  part  of  any  of  the  crew  to  lower  the  boats  or  do 
anything  toward  protecting  life. 

FUEL  IN  THE   STOREROOM. 

Oil,  paint,  hay,  charcoal,  lamps  and  other  inflamma- 
ble material  were  kept  in  the  storeroom  forward,  where 
many  persons  believed  the  fire  originated,  and  the  door 
was  not  kept  locked.  This  was  the  testimony  of  Walter 
Paine,  a  negro  porter.  He  filled  two  dozen  lamps  in  the 
storeroom  while  the  steamer  was  at  the  Third  street  pier. 
He  said  that  he  then  brought  up  his  shoe-cleaning  para- 
phernalia, and  was  standing  near  the  forward  gangway 
with  the  mate  when  someone  notified  Flanagan  that 
there  was  something  wrong  in  the  hold  forward.  Roth 
men  ran  forward  and  were  driven  back  by  the  smoke. 

"The  mate  shouted  through  'La  tube  to  the  pilot 
house,"  said  Paine,  "and  then  I  saw  him  at  the  hose.     It 


i  in.  m  EAMBOAT  A  DEATH  TRAP.  229 

was  twisted  up  and  I  tried  to  get  the  kinks  out  of  it.  The 
water  only  got  three  or  four  feet  through  the  hose  when 
it  burst  loose  from  the  standpipe.  The  water  was  run- 
ning all  over  the  deck,  so  I  ran  to  the  standpipe  to 
shut  it  off.' ' 

Paine  said  he  pulled  down  three  or  four  rows  of  life 
preservers  and  distributed  them.  He  couldn't  swim,  but 
he  didn't  put  on  a  life  preserver.  He  was  rescued  while 
clinging  to  the  paddle  wheel. 

PROBING  THE  FIRES  ORIGIN. 

He  said  in  the  storeroom  were  two  dozen  lamps, 
three  barrels  of  oil,  one  of  machine,  one  of  cylinder  and 
one  of  mineral  sperm  oil,  two  or  three  barrels  of  glasses 
packed  in  soft  hay,  half  a  dozen  empty  barrels,  some 
charcoal,  some  old  life  preservers,  old  canvas  and  other 
things  he  never  examined.  This  room  he  said  was  kept 
closed  but  not  locked.  Two  or  three  other  men  were  in 
there  on  that  Wednesday  morning,  but  he  couldn't  give 
their  names. 

He  said  he  lighted  a  lantern  in  the  storeroom  to  see 
to  clean  his  lamps,  but  he  was  sure  that  he  put  out  the 
match  before  he  threw  it  away. 

Thomas  Ryan,  who  worked  at  the  chowder  counter, 
said  he  had  pulled  down  life  preservers  after  hearing  of 
the  fire.  He  placed  one  on  the  steward  of  the  boat,  who 
was  carrying  a  big  bag  of  money.  The  steward  was 
drowned.     Ryan  said  he  had  helped  a  boy  ashore. 

George  Owens,  who  had  charge  of  the  chowder  coun- 
ter, said  he  had  not  seen  any  member  of  the  crew  after 
they  had  failed  to  make  the  hose  work. 

Airs,  Maria  Behrends,  of  No.  88  Third  street,  was 
the  first  woman  sufferer  called  upon  to  testify.     She  said 


230  THE  STEAMBOAT  A  DEATH  TRAP. 

the  "Slocum"  had  just  passed  Blackwell's  Island  when 
there  was  a  cry  of  "Fire!"  followed  by  a  panic.  The 
officers  and  employees  of  the  boat  did  nothing  for  the 
passengers,  she  said,  She  tried  to  find  her  children. 
She  held  herself  on  the  rail  until  a  tug  came  and  rescued 
her.  One  of  her  daughters  was  saved ;  two  others  lost 
their  lives, 


CHAPTER  XII. 
WORTHLESS  LIFE  PRESERVERS. 

WILLIAM  W,  TREMBLY  testified  that  he  had  been 
engaged  as  a  deck  hand  on  the  "Slocum"  on 
May  20.  Before  that  he  was  a  waiter.  There  had  been 
no  fire  drills  on  the  boat.  When  his  attention  was  called 
to  the  fire  he  helped  the  assistant  engineer  to  pull  down 
the  hose,  which  was  in  a  spiral.  He  tried  to  attach  the 
nozzle,  but  could  not,  and  no  water  flowed. 

All  he  knew  about  the  location  of  the  "Slocum"  was 
that  she  had  passed  Blackwell's  Island,  No  attempt  was 
made  to  launch  the  lifeboats, 

A,  S,  Gilbert,  counsel  for  Inspector  Lundberg,  drew 
out  some  very  damaging  facts  about  the  condition  of  the 
life  preservers. 

Trembly  said  he  had  pulled  thirty  or  forty  lifebelts 
from  the  racks  and  thrown  them  to  passengers.  He 
noticed  holes  in  several  of  them,  and  he  believed  with 
the  vibration  of  the  boat  the  rusty  wires  had  cut  through 
the  canvas.  Before  the  disaster  he  had  called  Mate 
Flanagan's  attention  to  one  preserver  in  a  particularly 
torn  condition,  and  he  had  been  told  to  remove  it.  He 
had  not  reported  other  damaged  preservers  that  he  had 
seen,  because  it  had  not  been  his  business.  He  could 
not  help  seeing  the  holes  when  he  had  handled  the  life 
preservers. 

Captain  John  A.  Pease,  who  is  quite  deaf,  said  he 
had  sailed  on  the  "  Grand  Republic"  since  she  was  built 
in   1878.     He  superintended  the  building  of  the   k\Slo- 

281 


232  WORTHLESS  LIFE   PRESERVERS. 

cum"  and  had  her  put  in  order  this  spring.  He  had 
nothing  to  do  with  the  life  preservers  on  board,  and  he 
did  not  know  whether  any  of  them  were  stuffed  with  bull- 
rushes.  He  had  obtained  three  hundred  and  fifty  new 
life  preservers  for  the  "Grand  Republic"  this  year. 

Captain  Pease  said  he  overhauled  the  "Slocum" 
this  spring,  but  supervised  only  the  hull  and  machinery. 
Captain  Van  Schaick,  he  said,  looked  after  the  life  saving 
and  fire  apparatus.  He  said  positively  he  never  had  any 
talk  with  Miss  Hall  about  life  preservers  for  the  "  Slo- 
cum,"  thus  contradicting  the  bookkeeper. 

Captain  Pease  said  he  never  bought  any  fire  hose 
for  the  "Slocuni,"  and  when  Mr.  Garvan  asked  him,  "Did 
vou  ever  buy  any  good  fire  hose  for  sixteen  cents  a  foot?" 
he  replied: 

CANNOT  BE   BOUGHT, 

'kNo,  I  don't  think  anybody  can." 

Sixteen  cents  was  the  price  paid  for  the  "  Slocum's" 
hose,  according  to  the  mate,  but  a  hose  which  was  used 
every  day  to  fill  the  tanks  was  bought  at  a  list  of  $1.50  a 
foot  with  fifty  and  ten  off,  according  to  former  Fire  Mar- 
shal Freel. 

Thomas  Henry  Barrett,  United  States  Inspector  of 
Boilers  for  the  Port  of  New  York,  made  the  positive 
statement  in  the  opening  of  his  testimony  that  the 
"  General  Slocum"  had  no  hold,  and  that  consequently 
the  provisions  in  the  United  States  statutes  providing 
for  valves  to  every  compartment  in  a  steamer's  hold  to 
flood  it  with  steam  in  the  event  of  fire  did  not  apply.  He 
said  John  W.  Fleming,  subordinate  to  him,  made  an  in- 
spection of  the  "  Slocum"  boilers  this  spring. 


WORTHLESS   LIFE  PRESERVERS.  2:;:; 

" The Slocum"  in  my  opinion,  had  no  hold,"  said  the 
witness. 

(J.  Will  you  show  us  anything  in  the  law  which 
says  that  steamers  of  this  kind  have  no  hold  ?  A.  I  can- 
not. 

Henry  A.  Wise,  Assistant  United  States  District 
Attorney,  took  the  witness  in  hand  first. 

"  Here  is  a  ship  drawing  seven  feet  of  water,  with  the 
engines  on  the  main  deck,"  he  said.  "  Would  you  say 
the  rooms  forward  and  aft  of  the  fire  room  underneath 
the  engines  were  cabin  or  hold  ?"  He  enumerated  the 
rooms — kitchen,  dining  room,  storage  room.  Mr.  Barrett 
said  what  he  considered  the  hold  of  a  ship  is  the  part 
that  the  cargo  is  put  in  and  it  is  sealed  by  hatches. 

WOULD  HAVE   BEEN  A  GOOD  THING. 

Representative  Goulden,  one  of  the  jurors,  asked 
Barrett  what  would  have  been  the  objection  to  putting  a 
pipe  in  that  storeroom. 

wl  Xone  at  all,"  said  the  witness,  and  he  admitted 
that  it  would  have  been  a  good  thing. 

Robert  Jacob,  a  shipbuilder,  who  was  one  of  the  jury, 
then  took  the  witness  in  hand  and  caused  Mr.  Barrett  to 
admit  that  there  was  no  such  thing  as  a  ship  without  a 
hold. 

Q.  By  Mr.  Jacob: — This  vessel  carried  barrels  of 
glasses  and  other  supplies  for  her  excursions.  Where 
do  you  put  these  things  ?  Wouldn't  you  put  them  down 
in  the  hold?  A.   Well,  I  don't  know  where  I'd  put  them. 

Q.  Did  you  ever  see  a  ship  without  a  hold,  Colonel  ? 
A.  No,  sir. 

Following  his  chief  John  W.  Fleming,  the  United 
States  boiler  inspector  who  inspected   the  "  Slocum"   at 


234  WORTHLESS  LIFE  PRESERVERS. 

the  same  time  as  Lundberg  came  on  the  stand  and  an- 
nounced that  he  was  very  deaf.  He  said  he  and  Lund- 
berg worked  separately.  He  tested  the  boilers  and 
engines  and  found  everything  in  first  class  condition. 

Q.  Did  you  put  pressure  on  the  fire  hose  with  the 
donkey  engine  ?  A.  No. 

"  Didn't  you  find  any  forward  compartment  in  your 
inspection  ?"  asked  the  lawyer. 

"  I  didn't  go  there  at  all,"  admitted  the  witness.  "  I 
don't  know  what  is  forward  of  the  engine  room  or  aft.  I 
didn't  go  there." 

"Did  the  'Slocum'  have  any  arrangement  of  valves 
leading  from  the  boiler  to  any  part  of  the  ship  to  flood  it 
in  case  of  fire?"  asked  Mr.  Garvan. 

"No,  sir,"  answered  Fleming,  his  voice  rising  to  a 
shout,  "because  if  she  did  it  would  be  a  mistake.  She 
didn't  need  them." 

PITIABLE   CONDITION   OF  THE  CAPTAIN. 

Crippled  for  life,  his  nerves  shattered  and  his  mental 
anguish  so  great  that  he  could  scarcely  contain  himself 
at  any  mention  of  the  disaster  to  his  steamboat,  Captain 
William  Van  Schaick,  of  the  "General  Slocum,"  was  in 
a  pitiable  condition  at  the  Lebanon  Hospital.  He  was 
still  confined  to  his  bed,  and  the  surgeons  regarded  his 
condition  as  serious. 

The  veteran  river  and  harbor  nagivator,  who  had 
been  in  command  of  the  "Slocum"  from  the  day  she  was 
launched,  had  made  all  his  arrangements  to  retire  from 
sea  life  at  the  close  of  this  season.  His  record  had  been 
unrnarred  up  to  the  day  of  the  great  disaster.  He  had 
carried  1,500,000  passengers  in  safety  up  and  down  the 
river  during  his  long  service. 


WORTHLESS   LIFE  PRESERVERS. 

Captain  Vau  Schaick  had  invested  all  his  savings  in 

a  small  farm  near  Troy,  and  there  he  had  planned  to 
make  his  home  at  the  close  of  navigation  next  fall,  to 
remain  until  the  end  of  his  days. 

Police  Commissioner  McAdoo  received  and  made 
public  reports  from  thirty-six  precinct  captains  as  to  the 
general  provisions  for  the  safe  handling  of  excursion 
crowds  at  the  piers  in  as  many  precincts. 

The  reports  stated  that  general  conditions  were  good, 
but  in  some  instances  sharp  criticism  was  made  of  the 
narrow  stairways  on  excursion  boats  and  of  the  class  of 
employes  on  many  of  the  vessels.  Captain  Dean,  of  the 
harbor  police,  recommended  that  the  carrying  capacity 
of  many  boats  be  cut  down  and  that  storerooms  for  oil, 
paints  and  other  inflammable  materials,  as  well  as  the 
boiler  rooms  and  galleys,  be  lined  with  fireproof  material. 

A  TON   OF  DYNAMITE. 

Great  charges  of  dynamite — a  ton  in  all — exploded 
under  the  surface  of  the  East  River  in  the  vicinity  of 
North  Brother  Island  kept  the  water  churned  into  a 
yeasty  mass  for  hours,  and  brought  a  few  bodies  to  the 
surface,  although  not  so  quickly  as  in  the  case  of  the 
cannon  fired  across  the  surface  of  the  river  the  day  before. 

In  all  thirty-six  bodies  were  found.  As  soon  as  re- 
covered they  were  placed  in  metal  coffins,  hermetically 
sealed  and  these  will  not  be  opened  again.  All  identi- 
fications were  now  made  from  the  clothing  and  jewelry  of 
the  dead. 

The  method  designed  by  Police  Commissioner 
McAdoo  for  ascertaining  the  names  of  those  still  missing 
as  well  as  all  those  who  have  lost  friends  or  relatives  by 
the  "Slocum"  disaster  was  put  into  effect.   A  force  of  one 


236  WORTHLESS  LIFE  PRESERVERS. 

hundred  policemen,  all  of  whom  spoke  German,  were 
sent  through  St.  Mark's  parish  with  instructions  to  make 
a  house  to  house  canvass  and  to  obtain  the  names  of  all 
who  were  on  board  the  "Slocum"  the  day  she  burned.  A 
complete  roll  would,  it  was  believed,  be  obtained  in  this 
way. 

Several  wrangles  marked  the  inquest  on  the  second 
day.  Counsel  for  the  Knickerbocker  Steamboat  Com- 
pany started  the  trouble  by  saying  : 

"  The  officers  of  this  company  are  trying  to  shirk 
responsibility  and  place  it  on  the  corporation." 

Counsel  for  President  Barnaby  :  "  There  is  no  at- 
tempt to  shirk  any  responsibility." 

Coroner  Berry  :  "  It  looks  that  way." 

ALL  ANIMUS   DENIED. 

Counsel  for  Mr.  Barnaby:  uThe  presiding  officer 
should  not  show  his  animus  as  he  has  done  continuously 
since  this  inquest  began." 

Coroner  Berry  :  "  There  is  no  animus,  but  we  want 
the  truth  here,  and  I  am  giving  you  every  possible  op- 
portunity to  bring  out  the  truth.  It  is  for  the  jury  to 
fix  the  responsibility." 

Driven  to  desperation  by  the  manner  in  which  As- 
sistant District- Attorney  Garvan  swept  aside  the  trivial 
and  futile  attempts  of  the  officers  of  the  company  to  show 
that  five  different  sets  of  life  preservers  had  been  bought 
for  the  "  General  Slocum  "  in  and  since  the  year  1892, 
the  lawyers  representing  President  Barnaby,  of  the 
Knickerbocker  Steamboat  Company,  those  representing 
the  corporation  in  its  interests  as  distinguished  from 
those  of  the  officers,  and  the  lawyer  representing  the 
Government    inspector    responsible    for    the    condition 


W0R1  HLESS  LIFE  PRESERVERS. 

of  the  life  saving  appliances,  fought  bitterly  among 
themselves  and  in  united  array  against  the  Assistant- 
District  Attorney. 

The  scenes  witnessed  at  the  inquest  into  the  u  Slo- 
cuni  "  disaster  differed  from  anything  of  the  sort  ever 
seen  in  New  York  before.  The  lawyers  who  were  present, 
except  Mr.  Garvan  and  the  representative  of  the  United 
States  District  Attorney,  were  there  by  courtesy,  but  their 
attitude  became  insolently  aggressive,  and  on  several  occa- 
sions the  resulting  wrangles  were  unseemly  and  decidedly 
unusual,  culminating  in  the  criticism  of  Coroner  Berry 
by  Judge  Dittenhoeffer  after  a  series  of  attacks  of  like- 
sort  upon  the  Assistant  District  Attorney. 

BITTER  AND   WITTY   RETORTS. 

The  Coroner  acted  with  great  temperance  of  demeanor 
and  a  vast  consideration  for  the  "  lawyers  for  the  de- 
fence," as  they  are  clearly  to  be  considered  by  their  atti- 
tude. But  Assistant  District  Attorney  Garvan  pelted  his 
opponents  with  retorts  bitterly  witty  at  times  and 
always  effective. 

He  was  not  swayed  for  a  moment  from  the  line  of 
investigation  he  began,  although  hampered  at  every 
step  by  the  exasperating  and  filibustering  methods  of  the 
opposing  lawyers,  who  were  evidently  attempting  to 
draw  the  inquest  out  to  a  great  length. 

The  reason  back  of  the  efforts  of  the  lawyer  repre- 
senting the  corporation  to  prevent  the  evasion  of  respon- 
sibility by  the  legal  representative  of  President  Barnabv 
is  simple. 

Should  it  be  shown  that  the  burning  of  the  "  Slo- 
cum"  was  due  to  negligence  on  the  part  of  the  owners 
before  the  ship  left   her  pier  on  Wednesday,  June    15,  or 


238  WORTHLESS  LIFE  PRESERVERS. 

that  any  lives  were  lost  because  of  that  negligence  prior 
to  the  boat's  departure,  the  company  would  be  responsi- 
ble and  the  entire  property  of  the  company  could  be 
attached,  as  well  as  the  assets  of  the  stockholders. 

It  was  for  this  reason  that  the  lawyer  representing 
the  company  fenced  at  the  inquest  to  prevent  any 
"  shirking  of  responsibility  "  by  the  president. 

In  turn  they  were  not  unwilling  that  the  entire  re- 
sponsibility should  be  thrown  upon  the  inspector,  as  this 
would  free  the  company  from  responsibility  and  save  them 
from  financial  disaster. 

ALL  INVOLVED   IN  A  WRANGLE. 

The  attorney  of  the  inspector  watched  with  hawklike 
vigilance  any  attempt  on  the  part  of  either  of  the  lawyers 
to  shift  the  burden  his  way,  and  the  result  was  a  constant 
bickering  which  reached  a  climax  when  all  became  in- 
volved in  a  wrangle  which  lasted  for  several  minutes. 

Some  skilful  generalship  was  required  under  such 
circumstances  to  lead  a  combined  attack  upon  the  Dis- 
trict Attorney's  representative,  but  this  was  frequently 
accomplished. 

The  representative  of  the  Knickerbocker  Steamboat 
Company  was  forced  to  admit  that  no  life  preservers  had 
been  bought  for  the  "Slocum"  since  1895. 

This  was  done  in  order  to  save  Miss  M.  C.  Hall  from 
further  torture  upon  the  witness  stand.  When  she  ap- 
peared she  confessed  that  she  had  been  unable  to  find  any 
other  bills  altered  by  erasures  and  substitution  of  names 
such  as  had  been  shown  in  the  bills  for  life  preservers 
made  out  in  the  name  of  the  "Grand  Republic,"  and 
afterward  changed  to  the  "  General  Slocuin." 

It  had  become  evident  that  any  further  questioning 


WORTHLESS  LIFE  PRESERVERS*  289 

of  the  witness  would  serve  only  to  deepen  the  impression 
already  made,  and  the  aetion  of  the  counsel  for  the  com- 
pany in  admitting  that  no  life  preservers  had  been  bought 
since  1S95  saved  Miss  Hall  further  examination. 

Religious  questions  entered  largely  into  the  disas- 
ter, as  may  be  seen  from  the  following  discussion  by  one 
of  our  prominent  journals  : 

"  Very  naturally,  the  question  of  the  origin  of  evil, 
brought  anew  to  the  front  by  the  awful  disaster  to  a  Sun- 
day school  party,  interests  many  of  our  correspondents. 
It  has  interested  and  has  puzzled  men  from  the  begin- 
ning of  their  reasoning  faculty  ;  yet  they  are  no  nearer 
to  the  solution  of  it  than  was  the  earliest  savage  who 
sought  to  conciliate  the  mysterious  Power  over  the  uni- 
verse. 

LUNATICS  ASKING  QUESTIONS. 

"  In  times  past  men  have  gone  mad  in  their  search 
for  the  key  to  the  mystery,  and  even  now  the  lunatic 
asylums  contain  many  men  and  women  who  imagine  that 
they  have  cleared  away  the  mystery,  and  that  is  why  they 
are  there. 

"  Some  of  our  correspondents  complain  that  in  writ- 
ing of  the  subject  a  few  days  ago  we  gave  up  the  question, 
as  undeniably  we  did,  and  as  everybody  outside  of  a  mad- 
house must  give  it  up,  if  he  does  not  want  to  get  inside. 

"  For  example,  a  sharp  broker  of  the  Cotton  Ex- 
change, though  good  enough  to  contribute  to  us  '  the 
possession  of  ability  and  intelect,'  questions  our  '  exer- 
cise of  both  or  either  '  in  what  he  said.  He  infers  that 
we  dodged  the  question  in  a  pusillanimous  fashion : 

11  l  Did  you  in  that  editorial,  simply  say  all  you  dared 
to  say,  or  did  your  comments  describe  your  actual  and 
honest  comprehension  and  belief  of  the  subject  matter? 


240  WORTHLESS  LIFE  PRESERVERS. 

"  '  Did  you  withhold  anything  that  may  have  been 
impressed  upon  you  by  your  best  and  broadest  think- 
ing ?  '  » 

"  Certainly,  we  dared  to  say  no  more.  We  give  up 
the  question  of  the  origin  of  evil.  We  withhold  nothing, 
for  we  frankly  acknowledged  ignorance.  The  critical 
broker's  'best  and  broadest  thinking'  ma}7  go  far  and 
dive  very  deep ;  but,  no  more  than  we,  can  he  get  to  the 
bottom  of  that  mystery  by  any  process  of  reasoning. 

DULL  PLACE  WITHOUT  CHILDREN. 

"  Mr.  John  Cadman,  of  Brooklyn,  says,  very  reason- 
ably, that  so  far  as  concerns  the  question  of  the  merciful- 
ness of  a  personal  God  there  is  no  difference  l  between  a 
thousand  innocent  children  being  burned  to  death  or 
drowned  by  the  burning  of  a  steamboat,  and  the  same 
number  of  equally  innocent  children  dying  on  that  day 
in  a  thousand  different  homes  all  over  the  world.'  With- 
out children,  continues  Mr.  Cadman,  'heaven  would  seem 
to  most  of  us  a  dull,  uninteresting  place  where  few  would 
care  to  go.' 

"  Besides,  he  argues,  if  the  children  on  the  'Slocum  ' 
had  been  permitted  to  live  to  old  age  or  middle  life,  who 
can  tell  how  many  of  them  would  have  been  led  into  sins 
and  been  a  cause  of  greater  grief  to  their  parents  than 
was  their  destruction  in  that  disaster  ?  But  if  they  had 
never  existed  at  all  they  would  have  been  saved  from 
torture  on  that  burning  boat.  If  they  were  more  fortun- 
ate than  others  in  being  saved  from  the  sin  of  the  others, 
where  is  justice  ?    The  mystery  remains. 

"A, New  York  correspondent  argues  that  as  God 
gives  us  '  intelligence  and  free  will  we  are  ourselves  re- 
sponsible for  the  neglect  of  the  precautions  which  would 


WORTHLESS   LIFE  PRESERVERS.  241 

have  prevented  the  catastrophe.  God  could  not  do  more 
unless  He  suspended  all  laws  to  make  up  for  the  gross 
carelessness  of  the  owners,  the  captain,  the  crew  and  the 
inspectors.'  But  it  was  not  the  negligent  who  perished. 
The  children  burned  and  drowned  had  no  such  responsi- 
bility. But,  says  our  pious  friend,  ' they  escaped  all  the 
other  pains  and  evils  of  life,'  and  the  lawful  catastrophe 
may  save  the  rest  of  us  from  '  greater  evil  from  another 
accident.'  Is  not  that  rather  a  selfish  view  to  take  of  the 
destruction  of  hundreds  of  poor  children  ? 

DUE  TO  CARELESSNESS. 

"  4  God,'  says  a  new  York  dogmatist,  '  .wills  no  evil, 
and  causes  no  evil ;  evil  comes  from  human  disobedience 
of  God's  commandments.'  'The  real  cause'  he  attributes 
'to  the  one  man  who  smoked  in  the  lamp  room.'  Assum- 
ing that  he  is  correct  in  this,  is  it  consistent  with  our 
human  idea  of  justice  that  the  careless  and  disobedient 
smoker  should  escape  and  hundreds  of  women  and  child- 
ren who  did  not  smoke  should  be  burned  as  a  punish- 
ment for  his  misdoing  ?  That  is  substantially  the 
question  scores  of  our  sceptical  correspondents  are  asking 
us. 

"The  theory  of  one  reader  is  that  l  God  in  taking 
away  the  lives  of  those  on  the  'Slocum,'  chose  those 
who  were,  no  doubt,  jewels  in  His  crown'  and  there- 
by used  His  own  to  warn  those  who  ought  to  be 
living  better.'  A  Kingston  correspondent  takes  the 
directly  contrary  view  that,  '  horrible  as  the  '  Slocum  ' 
disaster  was,  its  iconoclastic  side  is  immense  ' — that  is,  it 
tends  to  destroy  in  men  belief  in  '  the  personal  God  whom 
the  superstitious  had  set  up  and  of  whom  they  expect 
interference  in  the  affairs  of  the  world  at  their  asking.' 

N.Y.  10 


242  WORTHLESS  LIFE  PRESERVERS. 

"  Finally,  asks  a  Brooklyn  correspondent,  i  as  none 
of  these  dear  little  children  under  the  age  of  responsi- 
bility will  be  lost,  is  it  not  good  of  God  to  call  to  a  lost 
eternity  men  and  women  who  have  entirely  ignored 
God's  invitation  to  accept  Christ  as  their  Saviour?' 
Besides  children,  it  must  be  remembered,  very  many 
adults  were  lost  in  the  disaster. 

"  We  give  these  opinions  from  among  scores  which 
we  are  receiving  on  this  subject.  After  all  is  said,  do 
they  leave  the  mystery  any  the  less  impenetrable  by 
man  ?  Either  you  must  take  the  dogmatic  theological 
explanation,  purely  on  faith,  or  you  must  make  inexo- 
rable natural  law  the  ruler  of  man's  destiny." 

The  cry  of  man's  anguish  went  up  unto  God  : 

"Lord,  take  away  pain  ! 
The  shadow  that  darkens  the  world  Thou  hast  made, 

The  close  coiling  chain 
That  strangles  the  heart ;  the  burden  that  weighs 

On  the  wings  that  would  soar — 
God,  take  away  pain  from  the  world  Thou  hast  made, 

That  it  love  Thee  the  more  !" 

Then  answered  the  Lord  to  the  cry  of  the  world  - 

"Shall  I  take  away  pain, 
And  with  it  the  power  of  the  world  to  endure, 

Made  strong  by  the  strain  ? 
Shall  I  take  away  pity  that  knits  heart  to  heart 

And  sacrifice  high  ? 
Will  ye  lose  all  your  heroes  that  lift  from  the  fire 

White  brows  to  the  sky  ? 
Shall  I  take  away  love  that  redeems  with  a  price 

And  smiles  at  its  loss  ? 
Can  ye  spare  from  your  lives  that  would  climb  unto  mine 

The  Christ  on  the  Cross  ?  " 


CHAPTER   XIII. 
VALOROUS  DEEDS  BY  RESCUERS. 

IMPORTANT  disclosures  were  made  again  during  the 
Coroner's  inquest  regarding  the  conduct  of  the  crew 
of  the  "  General  Slocum  "  at  the  time  of  the  fire  and  the 
measures  taken  by  those  in  control  of  the  vessel  to  save 
passengers.  Wreckers  raised  the  hulk  of  the  "  Slocum  n 
and  towed  it  to  flats,  where  it  was  beached. 

Several  bodies  were  recovered  and  the  work  of 
identification  proceeded  slowly.  Nothing  was  reported 
to  change  materially  the  estimate  of  the  total  loss  of 
life  that  appeared  to  be  over  1,000.  Mr.  Jacob  H.  Schiff, 
in  announcing  that  the  relief  fund  was  now  about 
$90,000,  gave  his  opinion  that  sufficient  money  had  been 
contributed  to  carry  out  the  purposes  of  the  fund.  Mem- 
bers of  the  jury  selected  by  Coroner  Joseph  I.  Berry,  of 
The  Bronx,  to  investigate  the  "  Slocum  "  disaster  de- 
clared that  the  evidence  already  before  them  would 
enable  them  to  determine  the  responsibility  for  the 
accident. 

Captain  William  Van  Schaick,  commander  of  the 
u  Slocum,"  was  carried  into  the  Coroner's  temporary 
court  room,  at  the  corner  of  Bathgate  avenue  and  177th 
street.  He  was  on  a  stretcher  and  was  in  great  pain 
from  his  fractured  heel,  and  Assistant  District  Attorney 
Francis  P.  Garvan  did  not  put  a  question  to  him,  but 
had  him  carried  back  to  the  Lebanon  Hospital  after  a 
short  delay. 

Martin  Cragh,  the  first  witness,  was  a  deck  hand  on 
the   "  Slocum."     He  said  he  had  never  been  through  a 

243 


244 


VALOROUS  DEEDS  BY  RESCUERS. 


fire  drill  and  he  had  not  recognized  the  fire  alarm  when 
he  had  heard  it.  He  had  tried  to  prevent  a  panic,  but 
as  soon  as  the  boat  was  beached  he  had  jumped  over- 
board. 

James  Collins,  a  policeman,  attached  to  the  "  Mor- 
risania  district,  testified  that  he  had  seen  the  "Slocum" 
afire  off  the  foot  of  13 2d  street.  The  boat  was  then 
blazing  fiercely,  and  he  called  up  Police  Headquarters 
and  asked  to  have  a  fireboat  sent  at  once.  He  found  a 
rowboat  and  followed  the  "  Slocum  "  to  rescue  the  women 
and  children.  When  he  reached  the  excursion  steamer 
she  was  ablaze  from  stem  to  stern,  on  all  three  decks. 

"Did  you  see  any  life-preservers?"  asked  Mr.  Gar- 


van. 


"Yes,  sir,"  was  the  reply.  "Almost  all  of  them 
were  torn  and  cork  was  dropping  out  of  them." 

MAY  HAVE  LOST  HIS  HEAD. 

Collins  said  he  thought  the  "Slocum"  should  have 
been  beached  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  some  distance 
below  North  Brother  Island. 

"  Then  the  captain  beached  her  in  the  wrong  place 
on  purpose?"  suggested  Terence  J.  McManus,  counsel 
for  the  Knickerbocker  Steamboat  Company. 

"  I  don't  say  that,"  replied  the  witness,  "but  he  may 
have  lost  his  head." 

Policeman  Herbert  C.  Farrell,  who  accompanied 
Collins,  agreed  that  a  mistake  had  been  made  in  not 
beaching  the  "Slocum  "  earlier.  There  was  a  good  mud 
bank  to  run  into  at  129th  street,  he  said,  with  mud  flats 
extending  fully  fifty  or  sixty  feet  from  shore. 

The  depth  made  that  location  specially  desirable, 
and  Farrell  insisted  that  if  he  had  been  the  captain,  that 


VALOROUS  DEEDS  BY  RESCUERS.  246 

would  have  been  the  place  that  he  would  have  landed. 
Farrell  has  had  experience  in  sailing  small  boats  in  the 
East  River  for  twenty  years. 

Captain  John  Van  Gilder  was  called  as  an  expert. 
He  is  in  the  employ  of  the  New  York,  New  Haven  cc 
Hartford  Railroad  Company,  and  he  has  been  a  pilot  for 
twenty-seven  years,  having  had  charge  of  several 
of  the  big  excursion  boats  in  New  York  harbor.  After 
the  disaster  he  went  over  the  route  taken  by  the  "  Slo- 
cum"  with  E.  N.  Weaver,  pilot  of  the  wrecked  steamer. 
He  was  informed  by  Weaver  that  the  first  alarm  of  fire 
had  come  when  the  "Slocum"  was  about  three  lengths 
north  of  the  Black  Spar  buoy,  on  the  sunken  meadows. 
Weaver  had  told  him  that  there  was  a  strong  flood  tide. 

WOULD   HAVE   LANDED   ELSEWHERE. 

"  What  course  would  you  have  taken  if  you  had 
commanded  the  'Slocum,'  "inquired  Mr.  Garvan. 

"  I  should  have  gone  from  two  to  two  and  a  half 
points  west,"  replied  Captain  Van  Gilder,  M  and  I  should 
have  landed  at  Port  Morris,  about  the  foot  of  130th  street, 
either  with  the  port  or  the  starboard  side  ashore." 

Captain  Van  Gilder's  conclusion  was  that  if  the 
"  Slocuni "  had  been  beached  at  that  point,  with  the  port 
side  on  the  bank,  the  fire  would  have  been  driven  by  the 
wind  forward  and  ashore  and  the  steamer  would  have  not 
have  been  consumed  so  quickly. 

In  response  to  questions  put  by  jurors,  Captain  Van 
Gilder  said  fire  drills  were  necessary  on  a  passenger 
boat,  and  that  they  should  be  held  every  day  at  first. 
Local  inspectors  are  primarily  responsible  for  all  safety 
appliances,  though  there  must  be  a  general  supervision 
by  the  master  of  the  boat. 


246  VALOROUS  DEEDS  BY  RESCUERS. 

Q.  If  you  sent  a  mate  to  buy  fire  hose  and  lie  made 
the  purchase  at  the  rate  of  sixteen  cents  a  foot,  would 
you  assume  that  it  was  good  without  a  test  ?  A.  I  never 
heard  of  good  fire  hose  at  sixteen  cents  a  foot. 

Q.  Would  you  receive  sixteen  cent  hose  on  your 
boat  ?     A.   Not  without  a  protest. 

Q.  Would  you  disregard  an  order  from  an  assistant 
United  States  inspector  and  appeal  to  his  official  superior  ? 
A.  Oh,  no.  I  would  obey  any  order,  as  I  could  not  get 
a  license  if  I  did  not. 

COVERS  EASILY  MILDEWED. 

The  captain  agreed  with  a  juror  that  nine-tenths  of 
the  life  preservers  when  exposed  to  dampness  have  their 
covers  mildewed  in  one  season.  With  care  a  preserver 
may  last  in  good  condition  for  many  years,  and  the  ordi- 
nary life  of  one  should  be  seven  or  eight  years.  He  was 
surprised  to  hear  that  there  was  any  question  that  all 
portions  of  a  vessel  below  the  main  deck  were  the  hold, 
although  he  said  the  government  officials  were  liable  to 
11  find  almost  anything." 

Ruben  A.  Tudor,  captain  of  a  sloop,  who  followed 
the  "  Slocum  "  and  who  saved  several  lives,  said  he  saw 
many  women  and  children  wearing  life  preservers  sink 
the  moment  that  they  struck  the  water. 

Captain  Edward  Van  Woert,  first  pilot  on  the  "  Slo- 
cum," admitted  with  evident  reluctance  in  reply  to  Mr. 
Garvan's  questions,  that  the  life  preservers  on  the  "  Slo- 
cum" dated  back  to  1891,  when  the  steamer  was 
launched.  When  the  disaster  occurred  the  lifeboats  were 
not  lowered.  He  did  not  recall  having  seen  any  fire 
drills.  Captain  Van  Schaick  had  given  orders  to  beach 
the  "  Slocum  "  at  North  Brother  Island  when  the  fire  was 


VALOROUS  DEEDS  BY  RESCUERS.  247 

raging  and  had  then  disappeared  from  the  pilot  house. 
The  pilot  had  himself  ordered  the  destruction  of  about 
fifty  life  preservers  this  year  when  he  saw  that  they  were 
in  a  bad  condition.  He  thought  that  the  course  taken 
had  been  the  best  one  possible. 

Mrs.  H.  W.  Turner,  of  No.  2649  Eighth  avenue, 
testified  that  she  had  been  in  the  "Slocum  "  disaster  and 
had  tried  to  use  three  life  preservers,  and  each  of  them 
had  torn  and  she  had  to  throw  them  away.  She  jumped 
to  a  tug,  holding  her  child  in  her  arms.  Her  nephew 
and  her  sister  died. 

RIVER  STREWN  WITH  GRANULATED  CORK, 

Miss  Lulu  McKibben,  who  had  charge  of  the  tele- 
phone at  North  Brother  Island,  and  who  without  instruc- 
tions gave  timely  orders  to  hospitals  in  New  York, 
was  called  as  a  witness  to  establish  the  bad  condition  of 
the  life  preservers.  She  said  she  had  seen  the  river 
strewn  with  granulated  cork  when  the  "Slocum"  was 
burning.  She  waded  out  into  the  water  and  saved  two 
persons. 

Joseph  S.  Gaffney,  chief  engineer  at  North  Brother 
Island,  said  he  had  seen  the  burning  steamer  approach- 
ing, and  he  had  brought  out  the  island  hose  to  fight  the 
flames.  When  the  "  Slocum  "  beached,  blazing  nearly 
from  stem  to  stern,  he  devoted  himself  to  life  saving, 
wading  deep  into  the  water,  and  using  a  long  fire  hook 
to  drag  in  persons  who  were  afloat.  He  helped  to  rescue 
four  or  five. 

"  I  went  to  save  a  woman,"  he  said.  "  She  was  wear- 
ing a  life  preserver,  and  I  saw  it  break  in  the  middle  and 
float  away  from  her.    She  was  saved." 

Capt.  Henry  Wallabar,  chief  clerk  on  North  Brother 


248  VALOROUS  DEEDS  OF  RESCUERS. 

Island,  said  he  had  seized  a  life  preserver  around  a 
woman  to  pull  her  out  of  the  water  and  it  had  torn  into 
two  pieces,  leaving  in  his  hand  what  he  first  believed  to 
be  sawdust,  but  which  proved  to  be  granulated  cork.  The 
woman  was  almost  dead,  but  was  revived  after  long 
efforts.  The  shore  was  lined  with  cork  from  the  life  pre- 
servers. 

Paul  Liebenow,  with  his  head  swathed  in  bandages 
and  his  hands  badly  burned,  said  he  had  tried  in  vain  to 
pull  down  life  preservers  at  the  time  of  the  disaster.  He 
knew  that  others  had  implored  the  captain  to  beach  the 
"Slocum"  at  the  sunken  meadows.  He  heard  of  the 
fire  when  he  was  between  Ninetieth  and  Ninety-second 
streets.  Among  those  killed  were  two  of  his  children,  a 
sister,  a  sister-in-law,  a  niece  and  a  nephew. 

PULLED  DOWN  BY  LIFE  PRESERVER. 

Henry  Hordkopf,  of  No.  343  Rivington  street,  whose 
mother  was  lost,  said  he  had  noticed  the  fire  as  the 
"  Slocum"  passed  the  northern  end  of  Blackwell's  Island. 
Miss  Annie  Kip,  of  No,  1894  Third  avenue,  said  she  had 
gone  on  the  excursion  with  a  cousin,  who  was  drowned. 
She  obtained  a  life  preserver  but  found  in  the  water  that 
it  pulled  her  down,  and  she  clung  to  one  of  the  "  Slo- 
cum' s"  paddles  until  she  was  saved. 

John  L.  Wade,  engineer  aboard  the  tug  "J.  W. 
Wade,"  which  he  owns,  told  with  the  utmost  modesty  the 
story  of  the  rescue  of  many  lives  at  the  time  of  the  dis- 
aster. He  followed  the  "  Slocum,"  picking  up  many  who 
dropped  overboard,  and  he  beached  his  tug  under  the 
"  Slocum' s  "  stern,  so  as  to  pick  up  as  many  as  possible. 
He  did  not  stop  to  consider  the  risk  he  ran  or  the  dam- 
age to  his  boat.     His  instructions  to  his  men  were  to 


VALOROUS  DEEDS  BY  RESCUERS.  249 

look  out  for  the  living  and  not  to  bother  with  the  dead. 
He  felt  certain  that  one  of  the  engineers  had  stuck  to  his 
post  to  the  end  and  that  the  captain  and  one  of  the  pilots 
had  been  among  the  last  to  jump. 

When  he  tried  to  pull  aboard  a  young  woman  a  life 
preserver  that  she  wore  broke  into  four  pieces,  though  it 
kept  her  afloat.  He  went  out  of  his  way  to  say  that  the 
mate  of  the  "Slocum,"  Edward  Flanagan,  had  done  noth- 
ing to  help  anybody.  He  thought  that  Captain  Van 
Schaick  had  beached  the  boat  in  the  best  place   possible. 

CHEAP  PRICE    MEANS  CHEAP  HOSE. 

One  of  the  jurors  questioned  Captain  Wade  about 
sixteen  cent  fire  hose.  He  said  he  had  never  heard  of 
good  hose  at  that  price.  The  best  he  had  been  able  to  do 
for  his  own  boat  was  to  obtain  a  length  of  fifty  feet  for 
$25. 

Mary  McCann,  a  bright  looking  girl  of  seventeen, 
was  the  next  witness.  She  was  convalescing  from  scarlet 
fever  on  June  15,  when  she  saw  the  burning  boat  beached. 
She  swam  out  five  times  and  brought  in  six  little  children 
in  her  arms.  The  last  time  she  started  her  skirt  had  been 
torn  off,  and  as  she  was  near  shore  she  lost  consciousness, 
and  she,  too,  had  to  be  rescued. 

Edwin  Robinson,  a  negro,  said  he  had  been  assistant 
cook  on  the  "Slocum."  He  had  been  specially  warned 
not  to  light  matches  in  the  forward  cabin  where  the  fire 
occurred.  All  he  did  when  the  boat  was  beached  was  to 
save  himself. 

The  following  statement  from  a  well-known  news- 
paper will  be  of  interest  to  the  reader.  It  is  dated  June 
25th,  1904  : 

"  The  Federal  Grand  Jury  has  been  called  for  Thurs- 


250  VALOROUS  DEEDS  BY  RESCUERS. 

day  (June  30th)  to  consider  the  "  Slocum  "  disaster  and 
to  fix  the  criminal  responsibility.  Representatives  of  the 
government  have  watched  the  developments  during  the 
Coroner's  inquest  and  are  familiar  with  all  the  testimony. 
The  hull  of  the  burned  vessel  was  inspected  yesterday 
by  representatives  of  the  local  and  federal  government. 
Conditions  disclosed  bore  out  the  testimony  as  to  useless 
fire  hose  and  life  preservers. 

"One  body  was  found  in  the  hull,  and  evidence  that 
many  were  completely  incinerated  was  found  in  the  shape 
of  melted  jewelry.  The  Coroner's  jury  has  heard  suf- 
ficient evidence,  and  is  ready  to  fix  the  responsibility  for 
the  disaster.    It  will  visit  the  wreck  on  Monday. 

RELIEF  FUND  SUFFICIENT. 

"Contributions  still  continued  to  come  in  from  sym- 
pathizers, notwithstanding  the  statement  of  Mr.  Jacob 
H.  SchifFthat  the  relief  fund  was  already  sufficient. 

"After  a  long  conference  with  District  Attorney 
Jerome,  Assistant  District  Attorney  Francis  P.  Garvan 
and  United  States  District  Attorney  Burnett,  Coroner 
Joseph  I.  Berry,  of  the  Bronx,  announced  that  the  plan 
to  close  the  inquest  on  Monday  in  the  case  of  the  victims 
on  the  ( General  Slocum  !  had  been  abandoned.  Instead 
of  completing  the  testimony  at  that  time  the  jurors  will 
spend  the  day  in  making  a  personal  inspection  of  the 
hulk  of  the  burned  steamer. 

"The  jurors  were  instructed  to  assemble  at  eleven 
o'clock  on  Monday  in  the  armory  of  the  Second  Battery, 
at  177th  street  and  Bathgate  avenue,  where  the  Coroner 
has  been  holding  court.  Several  automobiles  will  be 
provided  to  take  the  jurors  to  a  ferry  boat,  which  will 
land  them  close  to  where  the  hulk  of  the  '  Slocum  '   now 


VALOROUS  DEEDS  BY  RESCUERS.  251 

lies.  The  witnesses  subpoenaed  for  Monday  will  have  to 
appear  on  the  following  day,  when  the  final  testimony 
will  be  taken  and  the  case  will  go  to  the  jury. 

"  Coroner  Berry  does  not  believe  that  much  more 
testimony  need  be  given  at  the  inquest.  Substantially 
all  the  survivors  of  the  crew  have  told  their  stories,  pas- 
sengers have  described  the  cowardice  of  those  from  whom 
they  expected  aid,  scores  have  explained  the  condition  of 
the  fire  fighting  apparatus  on  the  boat,  and  experts  have 
discussed  Captain  William  Van  Schaick's  actions  after 
the  discovery  of  the  fire  had  been  reported  to  him.  Mr. 
Garvan  had  a  reason  for  wishing  to  have  the  stories  of 
the  deckhands  all  placed  on  record,  but  neither  he  nor 
Coroner  Berry  thinks  it  worth  while  to  pile  up  cumula- 
tive testimony  from  other  sources. 

CAN  FIX  RESPONSIBILITY. 

"All  of  the  Jurors  are  men  of  recognized  ability  and 
the  Coroner  is  convinced  that  they  have  heard  enough  to 
place  the  responsibility  where  it  belongs.  If  they  deter- 
mine that  the  deaths  of  the  victims  were  due  to  the  care- 
lessness of  anybody  criminal  proceedings  must  *ollow. 
As  the  disaster  happened  on  a  steamer  the  Federal  court 
must  act.  A  session  of  the  United  States  Grand  Jury 
has  been  called  for  next  Thursday  to  consider  the  case, 
under  section  5,344  of  the  Revised  Statutes  of  the  United 
States,  which  reads  : — 

"Every  captain,  engineer,  pilot  or  other  person 
employed  on  any  steamboat  or  vessel  by  whose  miscon- 
duct, negligence  or  inattention  to  his  duties  on  such  ves- 
sel the  life  of  any  person  is  destroyed,  and  every  owner, 
inspector  or  other  public  officer  through  whose  fault, 
connivance,   misconduct  or  violation  of  law  the  life  of 


252  VALOROUS  DEEDS  BY  RESCUERS. 

any  person  is  destroyed,  shall  be  deemed  gnilty  of  man- 
slaughter and,  upon  conviction  thereof  before  any  Cir- 
cuit Court  of  the  United  States  shall  be  sentenced  to 
confinement  at  hard  labor  for  a  period  of  not  more  than 
ten  years. 

"  As  the  United  States  District  Attorney  has  had  a 
representative  at  the  Coroner's  inquest,  the  testimony 
already  taken  will  form  the  basis  of  the  evidence  to 
be  submitted  to  the  federal  Grand  Jury  for  indictment. 
The  officials  believe  that  the  record  of  the  inquest  up  to 
date  warrants  the  indictment  of  many  of  those  who  have 
been  called  upon  to  testify  and  who  have  not  thus  far 
appeared  in  the  role  of  defendants. 

STILL  IN  THE  HOSPITAL. 

"  CaptaAn  Van  Schaick,  who  has  been  under  deten- 
tion as  a  witness  since  the  day  of  the  accident,  has  not 
yet  been  called  to  the  stand  in  the  Coroner's  court  on 
account  of  his  physical  condition.  He  is  still  under 
subpoena  and  he  will  be  examined  on  Tuesday  if  he  im- 
proves to  the  extent  that  the  physicians  say  .he  would 
sustain  no  injury  by  the  effort  and  excitement.  He  is  a 
patient  in  the  Lebanon  Hospital,  and  while  he  is  said  to 
be  progressing  favorably  he  is  very  weak  as  a  result  of 
his  broken  heel  and  his  burns.  If  he  continues  in  the 
precarious  state  he  has  been  in  throughout  this  week  the 
inquest  will  be  closed  without  his  testimony. 

"  Members  of  the  Coroner's  jury  have  not  hesitated 
to  say  they  believe  themselves  fully  conversant  with  the  j 
facts  at  present,  and  they  are  willing  to  place  the  respon- 
sibility without  hearing  anything  further.  They  are 
thoroughly  familiar  with  the  condition  of  the  life-saving 
apparatus  on  the  *  Slocum,'  and  with  the  circumstances 


VALOROUS  DEEDS  BY  RESCUERS.  263 

attending  its  inspection  before  the  steamer  was  put  in 
commission  last  month. 

44  Frank  A.  Barnaby,  president  of  the  Knickerbocker 
Steamboat  Company,  which  owned  the  'Slocum,'  re- 
ferred all  inquiries  yesterday  to  his  counsel,  former  Judge 
A.  J.  Dittenhoefer,  who  declared  that  the  evidence  as  it 
now  stands  acquits  his  client  of  all  blame. 

14  4  Mr.  Barnaby  is  a  very  busy  man,'  said  Mr.  Dit- 
tenhoefer. 4  He  is  connected  with  various  corporations 
besides  having  large  real  estate  interests.  He  must 
necessarily  depend  entirely  upon  his  agents  and  upon 
the  certificate  of  the  United  States  inspectors.  When 
the  United  States  inspectors  certified  to  Mr.  Barnaby 
that  the  'Slocurn'  was  all  right  he  had  a  perfect  right 
to  conclude  that  everything  was  in  proper  condition, 
especially  as  he  had  no  expert  knowledge  on  the  subject. 
The  testimony  shows  that  whenever  his  attention  was 
called  to  any  requirements  he  had  them  attended  to 
immediately.  He  had  not  been  aboard  of  the  ( Slocum  ' 
this  season,  and  I  believe  that  he  had  been  on  the  boat 
very  few  times  since  she  was  built.  He  trusted  the 
officers  of  the  boat.' " 

HEARD  OF  IT   BY  ACCIDENT, 

It  was  hardly  thought  that  there  was  any  person 
within  many  miles  of  New  York  who  had  not  heard  of 
the  " Slocum"  disaster,  but  those  in  charge  of  the 
Information  Bureau  at  the  church  learned  of  one  man 
whose  wife  was  among  the  victims.  Frederick  Seelig 
lives  at  Dundee  Lake,  Bergen  county,  N.  J.  He  visited 
the  country  store  and  picked  up  an  old  copy  of  a  news- 
paper. In  it,  for  the  first  time,  he  learned  of  the  disaster 
and  hastened  to  the  city  to  locate  his  wife. 


254  VALOROUS  DEEDS  BY  RESCUERS. 

He  told  those  at  the  information  bureau  that  about 
ten  days  before  he  gave  his  wife  money  to  come  to  the 
city  and  open  a  delicatessen  store.  At  the  same  time  he 
gave  her  two  tickets  for  the  excursion,  Seelig  having 
been  formerly  a  member  of  St.  Mark's  Church.  He  said 
his  wife  opened  the  store  somewhere  on  the  East  side  and 
undoubtedly  was  among  the  excursionists.  At  the  Mor- 
gue he  found  samples  of  her  clothing  which  he  identified 
beyond  doubt. 

NOT  PROPERLY  EQUIPPED. 

Rotten  timbers,  useless  fire  hose,  crumbling  life 
preservers  and  other  evidences  of  the  "General  Slocum's" 
condition  were  found,  when,  from  the  first  time  water  was 
pumped  from  her  hold  and  an  examination  below  the 
main  deck  was  possible.  Sections  of  the  timbers,  pieces 
of  the  hose  and  other  exhibits  were  procured  by  Coroner 
Berry.  It  was  also  discovered  that  the  storeroom  below 
the  main  deck,  in  which  the  fire  started,  had  not  been 
very  badly  burned  and  that  all  parts  of  the  ship  below 
were  in  fairly  good  condition. 

In  the  storeroom  were  seven  barrels,  all  full,  and 
supposed  to  contain  oil.  In  the  room  were  also  many 
camp  chairs,  some  life  preservers  and  dishes.  Near  the 
door  the  floor  was  considerably  charred,  showing  that 
the  fire  had  started  in  the  room  and  had  blazed  out  of  the 
open  door,  where  the  flames  were  caught  in  the  wind  and 
quickly  sucked  up  the  hatchways  to  the  upper  deck. 

When  the  hull  was  lifted  above  the  surface  of  the 
water  the  main  deck  revealed  many  evidences  of  the 
calamity.  In  a  half  dozen  places  were  the  tangled  iron- 
work of  baby  carriages.  Mixed  with  the  mud  and  ashes 
were  hairpins,  occasional  fragments  of  clothing,  metal 


VALOROUS  DEEDS  BY  RESCUERS.  255 

buttons  and  many  articles  of  jewelry.  Melted  watch 
cases  were  found  in  several  places.  All  told,  the  police 
carried  away  nearly  a  half-bushel  of  sealed  and  numbered 
envelopes  containing  melted  gold  and  bits  of  jewelry.  A 
child's  body  was  found  near  the  starboard  paddle  box. 

Coroner  O' Gorman  believed  that  many  bodies  were 
completely  incinerated  on  the  deck.  He  was  also  con- 
vinced that  there  were  still  bodies  somewhere  in  the  hold 
of  the  ship  hidden  in  the  debris. 

VISITING  THE  WRECK. 

Commander  C.  McR.  Winslow,  of  the  United  States 
Navy,  detailed  by  the  United  States  Government  to  look 
after  the  work  of  investigation,  visited  the  wreck  in  com- 
pany with  Inspector  General  George  Uhler,  of  the  Steam- 
boat Inspection  Bureau,  and  Assistant  Inspector  Robert 
Rodie,  of  the  New  York  district,  and  spent  some  time 
looking  over  the  hull.  They  would  make  no  comment 
upon  what  they  saw.  Frank  A.  Barnaby,  president  of 
the  Knickerbocker  Company,  which  owned  the  "  General 
Slocuru,"  his  secretary,  and  Charles  Hills,  one  of  the 
directors  of  the  company,  visited  the  wreck  while  the 
work  of  inspection  was  in  progress. 

"It  is  my  opinion  there  should  be  a  fleet  of  ten  fire- 
boats  to  protect  the  water  front  of  this  city,"  said  Fire 
Commissioner  Hayes.  "  The  Brooklyn  water  front  should 
have  three  fireboats  at  least.  At  present  the  u  Hewitt"  is 
devoted  to  the  protection  of  that  district,  but  one  boat  is 
by  no  means  enough.  Staten  Island  at  present  has  none 
and  there  should  be  at  least  one  placed  there.  The  New 
York  front  requires  at  least  six,  and  we  have  only  five 
for  that  section.  Since  October  last  the  Low  and  Moody 
have  been  out  of  commission,  badly  handicapping  the 


256  VALOROUS  DEEDS  BY  RESCUERS. 

situation.  We  hope  to  have  the  "Low"  ready  for  service 
in  two  weeks.  In  my  opinion  she  should  have  been  sold 
last  October  and  a  new  boat  built.  It  has  cost  the  city 
$35,000  to  accomplish  the  necessary  repairs,  and  the  boat 
will  not  be  as  good  as  a  completely  modern  one,  which 
could  have  been  obtained  for  an  additional  $45,000. 

"It  is  my  intention  to  bend  all  my  efforts  toward 
obtaining  from  the  Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportionment 
an  appropriation  of  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  dollars  to 
better  the  Fire  Department  in  this  city.  Were  the  people 
of  New  York  wholly  cognizant  of  the  present  fire  alarm 
system,  which  is  wofully  behind  the  times,  they  would 
be  at  once  astounded  and  alarmed. 

NEED  MORE   FIRE   BOATS. 

UI  want  to  say  I  am  wholly  in  favor  of  the  stand  for 
more  fire  boats,  and  I  think  the  time  will  come  when  the 
people  will  become  so  aroused  they  will  demand  the  ser- 
vice that  is  their  due  in  a  city  of  this  size  and  wealth. 
For  the  firemen  I  have  only  words  of  praise.  They  are 
a  reliable  set  of  men,  and  always  do  their  best  with  the 
means  in  their  power  to  extinguish  fires  and  save  lives." 

More  than  three  thousand  dollars  was  realized  at  a 
benefit  given  for  the  surviving  sufferers  of  the  "  Slocum  " 
disaster  at  the  Grand  Opera  House,  Every  seat  and  all 
the  boxes  were  sold  at  advance  rates. 

Beethoven  Hall,  at  431  East  Sixth  street,  was  packed 
to  the  doors  when  the  funeral  of  Mrs.  Sophia  Schueffler, 
sixty-three  years  old,  of  No.  338  East  Sixth  street,  took 
place.  She  was  known  as  the  "  grandmother''  to  the 
whole  of  St.  Mark's  colony.  Mrs.  Schueffler  weighed 
about  four  hundred  pounds  in  life,  and  the  funeral  could 
not  be  held  in  the  house  as  it  was  impossible  to  get  the 


VALOROUS  DEEDS  BY  RESCUERS.  267 

especially  built  coffin  into  the  building.  The  hall  was 
heavily  draped  with  black. 

Following  the  services  in  the  hall,  which  were  con- 
ducted by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Krueska,  one  of  the  German 
Lutheran  volunteer  ministers,  twenty-one  carriages  fol- 
lowed the  hearse  to  First  avenue,  to  Seventh  street,  to 
Second  avenue  and  then  through  Sixth  street  and  past 
St.  Mark's  Church  on  the  final  stretch  of  the  route  to  the 
Williamsburg  Bridge. 

Practically  every  child  in  the  neighborhood  waited 
patiently  to  see  the  hearse  and  carriage  pass  by. 

It  was  the  custom  of  Mrs.  Schueffler  to  take  the 
families  of  her  two  daughters  and  three  sons  on  the  an- 
nual St.  Mark's  excursions.  This  year  she  went  alone 
for  the  first  time.  She  said  she  had  grown  too  old  and  too 
stout  to  take  the  responsibility  of  caring  for  so  many 
children. 


n.y.  17 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

SWIFT  JUSTICE  DEMANDED. 

IT  was  testified  before  the  Coroner's  jury  that  mem- 
1  bers  of  the  crew  of  the  "  Slocum  "  did  nothing  to 
save  lives.  All  of  the  crew  except  one  was  saved,  and  he 
was  drowned  trying  to  save  a  bag  containing  about  $1,000 
in  coin.  Testimony  was  given  before  the  Coroner's  jury 
that  no  fire  drills  were  held  on  the  "Slocum  "  this  year; 
that  no  life  preservers  had  been  bought  since  1895,  and 
that  there  was  no  valve  in  the  compartment  in  which  the 
fire  started  from  which  steam  could  be  turned  in  in  case  of 
fire.  These  are  all  violations  of  the  Revised  Statutes  of 
the  United  States.  As  for  the  inspection  of  the  steamer, 
one  United  States  inspector  refused  to  tell  what  he  did 
by  way  of  inspection  on  the  ground  that  the  testimony 
might  tend  to  incriminate  him. 

It  was  said  at  the  Federal  Building  that  few  tighter 
cinched  cases  had  ever  been  turned  over  to  a  Federal 
Grand  Jury,  and  the  prediction  was  made  that  the  num- 
ber of  indictments  that  would  be  returned  would  jolt  some 
persons. 

Gen.  Burnett  was  particularly  pleased  with  the  state 
in  which  he  found  the  case.  That  which  pleased  him 
most  was  the  fact  that  the  witnesses  to  be  called  to  testify 
"before  the  Federal  Grand  Jury  were  all  on  record  before 
the  Coroner,  and  they  could  not  get  away  from  that  re- 
cord without  causing  themselves  some  embarrassment. 
There  were  some  800  pages  of  testimony  to  hold  up  be- 
fore any  witness  possessed  of  the  inclination  to  duck. 
258 


SWIFT  JUSTICE  DEMANDED.  250 

The  new  turn  which  the  case  took  made  it  possible 
to  tell  the  story  of  a  pretty  bit  of  legal  finesse.  It  was 
told  in  the  Federal  Building  by  a  person  who  had  been 
familiar  with  the  case  from  the  beginning.  He  said  : 

"  Now  that  this  case  has  been  delivered  into  the 
hands  of  the  United  States,  it  can  do  no  harm  to  say 
that  the  delivery  was  the  result  of  a  carefully  worked 
out  plan  and,  so  far,  not  a  detail  miscarried. 

11  When  the  news  of  the  disaster  reached  Washing- 
ton Secretary  Cortelyou  of  the  Department  of  Commerce 
and  Labor,  after  consulting  with  the  President,  started 
for  New  York  and  laid  plans  to  find  out  whether  any- 
body was  criminally  responsible  for  the  awful  loss  of  life. 

ORDERS  FROM   WASHINGTON. 

"Gen,  Burnett  was  posted  from  Washington  as  to 
what  would  be  expected  of  him.  Meanwhile  Mayor  Mc- 
Clellan  had  got  to  work  and  ordered  the  wrecked  "  Slo- 
cum  "  raised.  Coroners  Berry  and  O' Gorman  were  work- 
ing hard,  and  District  Attorney  Jerome  stood  by  to  give 
the  Coroners  all  the  legal  advice  they  needed. 

"As  soon  as  Cortelyou  arrived,  and  while  some  of 
the  newspapers  were  printing  stories  about  ill  feeling 
between  State  and  Federal  authorities,  Cortelyou  and  the 
Mayor,  who  are  old  friends,  and  Gen.  Burnett  and  Jerome 
all  got  together,  and  a  thorough  understanding  was 
arrived  at.  There  was,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  no  clash  any- 
where. 

"Jerome  pointed  out  that  a  Federal  investigation 
must,  of  necessity,  be  long  drawn  out  before  even  the 
stepping  stone  testimony  would  be  adduced.  He  said 
there  was  no  doubt  that  it  was  a  case  for  the  United 
States  Courts  ;  but  he  reminded  the  others  that  a  Coro- 


260  SWIFT  JUSTICE  DEMANDED. 

ner's  inquest  would  have  to  be  held,  and  he  showed  that 
that  was  the  quickest  way  to  bring  out  the  preliminary 
facts  and  get  evidence,  without  any  delay,  on  which  the 
Government  could  proceed.  He  added  that  his  office  was 
at  once  at  the  Government's  disposal. 

14  Gen.  Burnett  agreed  with  Jerome.  Now,  see  how 
prettily  Jerome's  plan  worked  out.  The  inquest  was 
started  on  Monday.  Assistant  District  Attorney  Gar- 
van  was  instructed  to  get  to  the  bottom  of  the  business. 
In  four  days  he  got  on  record  a  pretty  comprehensive 
story  of  how  the  crew  of  the  "  Slocum  "  acted  after  the 
fire  was  discovered  ;  how  the  steamer  was  equipped,  and 
how  the  general  business  of  the  company  owning  the 
boat  was  conducted. 

PUSHING  THE  INVESTIGATION. 

44  Meanwhile  Mayor  McClellan  was  carrying  out  his 
part  of  the  plan.  On  Thursday  the  wreck  was  raised 
and  ready  for  the  inspection  of  the  Coroner's  jury,  the 
Federal  Grand  Jury,  or  anybody  else.  The  case  will  go 
to  the  Coroner's  jury  on  Monday,  and,  unless  I  am  much 
mistaken,  within  two  weeks  from  the  time  the  investiga- 
tion was  begun  somebody  will  be  indicted  for  something. 

44  That  something  is  very  serious.  Before  Garvan  had 
got  far  into  the  case  he  found  out  that  there  was  much 
better  chance  of  meting  out  adequate  punishment  to  the 
guilty,  should  guilt  be  legally  determined,  under  Federal 
than  under  State  laws.  Should  anybody  be  indicted 
and  tried  on  the  charge  of  manslaughter  in  the  State 
courts  the  jury  might  find  the  defendant  guilty  of  either 
one  of  two  degrees  of  the  crime. 

"  But  there  is  no  dodging  the  Federal  law.  If  the 
defendants,  whoever  they  may  be,  are  convicted  of  crimi- 


SWIFT  JUSTICE  DEMANDED.  261 

nal  negligence  the  jury  must  find  them  guilty  of  man- 
slaughter, the  prescribed  penalty  for  which  is  confinement 
at  hard  labor  for  ten  years." 

The  work  of  collecting  additional  evidence  was  con- 
tinued with  unabated  vigor  when,  by  the  raising  of  the 
charred  hull  of  the  "  Slocum,"  the  first  opportunity  to 
make  a  thorough  inspection  of  the  hold  was  presented. 
The  steamer  was  shoved  further  up  on  the  mud  flat  of 
Flushing  Bay  at  high  tide,  and  at  noon  two  rotary 
pumps  with  a  combined  capacity  of  8,000  gallons  a  minute 
began  drawing  the  flooded  hold.  The  shattered  hulk 
rose  three  inches  in  the  first  five  minutes  and  two  hours 
later  the  steamer  was  practically  floated. 

GHASTLY  FINDINGS  ON   DECK. 

Earlier  in  the  day  two  bodies,  those  of  a  girl  of  about 
twelve  and  a  boy  of  seven  were  found  back  of  the  pad- 
dle-box. Inspector  Albertson  found  on  the  main  deck 
the  leg  of  an  adult,  and  the  foot  and  ankle  of  a  child. 

Word  that  the  hull  had  been  raised  brought  to  the 
scene  late  in  the  afternoon  many  persons  prominently 
connected  with  the  investigation.  President  Barnaby 
and  his  counsel,  Lawyer  McManus,  made  their  first  inspec- 
tion of  the  hull.  They  called  attention  to  the  presence 
in  the  forward  cabin,  where  the  fire  is  said  to  have 
started,  of  seven  oil  barrels  and  a  bag  of  charcoal  which 
had  apparently  not  been  touched  by  the  flames.  The 
jute  bag  was  still  intact,  in  spite  of  its  inflammable  con- 
tents^  and  the  oil  barrels  were  little  more  than  blackened 
by  the  cinders  from  the  burned  deck  above. 

uThis  would  seem  to  be  conclusive  proof,"  Mr. 
McManus  said,  "  that  the  fire  did  not  start  in  the  forward 
cabin,  as  has  been   the  accepted  theory  up  to  this  time. 


262  SWIFT  JUSTICE  DEMANDED. 

The  origin  of  the  fire  would  therefore  seem  to  be  a 
mystery." 

The  discovery  of  this  condition  seemed  to  afford 
President  Barnaby  and  his  counsel  particular  satisfac- 
tion. President  Barnaby  waved  aside  all  questioners 
with  the  remark  :     "  I  am  here  to  work,  not  to  talk." 

Commander  Cameron  Winslow,  U.  S.  N.,  of  the 
commission  appointed  by  President  Roosevelt  to  investi- 
gate the  disaster,  accompanied  by  Inspector-General 
Uhler  and  Mr.  Rodie,  inspected  the  hull.  They  refused 
to  say  anything  concerning  the  results  of  their  inspec- 
tion, but  announced  that  they  would  make  another  visit. 

SAFE  BROKEN  OPEN. 

Coroner  O' Gorman  made  a  search  of  the  main  deck 
and  found  a  considerable  quantity  of  valuables,  includ- 
ing three  gold  watches  and  a  wedding  ring  bearing  the 
inscription,  aTo  my  wife."  He  ordered  Sergt.  Postoff 
to  break  open  the  safe.  While  this  was  being  done  with 
crowbars  and  sledge  hammers  an  excited  little  group 
gathered.  When  the  steel  door  was  raised  and  Sergt. 
Postoff  drew  forth  two  canvas  bags  whose  contents 
jingled  there  was  an  excited  murmur.  The  bags  proved  to 
be  filled  with  brass  checks  used  by  the  waiters  and  bar- 
tenders on  the  steamer.  Nothing  of  value  was  discovered 
in  the  safe. 

Darkness  fell  before  a  thorough  search  of  the  hold 
for  bodies  could  be  made.  Coroner  O' Gorman  penetrated 
the  rear  hold  as  far  as  possible  and  because  of  the  odor 
said  he  was  convinced  that  more  bodies  would  be  re- 
covered as  soon  as  the  debris  could  be  removed. 

It  was  evident  from  the  position  of  the  life  boats 
that  no  effort  had  been  made  by  either  crew  or  passen- 


SWIFT  JUSTICE  DEMANDED.  268 

gers  to  employ  them  to  escape.  Their  metal  hulls  had 
dropped  from  the  davits  to  the  deck.  Coroner  O'Gorman 
took  away  with  him  a  section  of  the  "  16-ceut  "  fire  hose, 
which  he  discovered  in  the  debris. 

The  body  of  Gertrude  Haas,  the  sixteen-year-old 
daughter  of  the  pastor  of  St.  Mark's  Church,  it  was  dis- 
covered, had  been  buried  in  the  grave  with  a  number  of 
other  unidentified  dead.  The  fact  was  established  by 
parts  of  the  clothing  that  had  been  saved  at  the  Morgue. 
Arrangements  will  be  made  to  disinter  the  body  and 
have  it  reburied  in  the  family  piot. 

PASTOR  PREACHES  TO  HIS  FLOCK. 

Pastor  Haas  nerved  himself  for  his  sad  duties  and 
preached  to  his  flock  on  Sunday.     He  said  : 

"  Why,  my  beloved,  has  this  thing  come  to  us  ?  We 
know  it,  and  we  cannot  deny  it.  It  was  due  to  negli- 
gence, carelessness  and  greed  and  that  worship  of  Mam- 
mon which  looks  only  for  profit  and  sends  thousands  of 
souls  into  eternity." 

With  all  the  strength  that  he  could  put  into  his 
voice,  the  Rev.  George  C,  F.  Haas  made  this  declaration  in 
his  sermon  before  his  afflicted  congregation  in  St.  Mark's 
Lutheran  Church,  in  Sixth  street.  The  little  church  was 
crowded  to  the  doors  with  friends  and  relatives  of  the 
unfortunates  who  were  lost  in  the  "  General  Slocuni" 
disaster,  and  more  than  once  throughout  his  sermon  the 
pastor's  voice  was  drowned  by  the  sobs  that  came  from 
every  side. 

There  were  many  who  wondered  that  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Haas  was  able  to  preach  at  all.  He  had  endeavored  to 
address  the  Sunday  School  an  hour  before,  but  collapsed 
ere  he  had  hardly  begun.     He  was   pale   and  trembling 


264  SWIFT  JUSTICE  DEMANDED. 

when  lie  entered  the  pulpit,  but  with  a  great  effort,  he 
seemed  to  strengthen  himself  for  the  ordeal,  and  pres- 
ently his  faltering  tones  gave  way  to  distinctness  and 
eloquence. 

Only  once  did  he  seem  to  lose  control  of  himself, 
1  and  that  was  when  he  referred  to  the  many  evidences  of 
sympathy  which  he  had  received  from  all  over  the  world. 
There  were  about  eight  hundred  persons  present,  mostly 
in  mourning.  The  Rev.  Mr,  Haas  took  his  text  from  St. 
Paul's  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  xiii.,  13 — "  And  now 
abideth  faith,  hope  and  love,  and  the  greatest  of  these 
is  love." 

"I  have  sat  by  many  a  casket  within  the  last  few  days 
and  preached  consolation,"  began  the  pastor;  "I  have 
attended  many  a  funeral  and  tried  to  brush  the  tears 
away,  but  never  in  my  life  have  I  felt  such  deep  sorrow 
as  I  do  to-day,  and  never  before  have  I  felt  so  anxious  to 
say  a  few  words  to  you.  Let  God  give  me  strength  to 
preach  that  word  and  to  reach  your  hearts  in  this  dark 
hour. 

OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED. 

"I  can  hear  the  words  of  many  who  say  : — '  What 
cause  have  you  now  for  faith  in  God  ?  Why  did  God  let 
such  things  come  to  you  ? '  And  yet  even  while  this 
has  come,  I  still  believe  and  say  it  is  not  God  who  has 
done  this,  but  negligence,  carelessness  and  greed.  It  was 
due  to  those  who  hold  life  cheap,  who  look  for  profit  only 
and  whose  only  God  is  Mammon.  It  was  due  to  officers 
who  did  not  do  their  duty  and  to  their  careless  and  in- 
competent agents. 

"However,  forgive  me  if  I  throw  stones  on  this 
occasion.     '  Judge  not,  that  ye  be  not  judged.'     We,  too, 


SWIFT  JUSTICE  DEMANDED.  265 

are  to  blame.  Had  we  not  always  been  silent,  but  lifted 
our  voices  and  cried  out  against  this  gross  negligence 
and  greed,  things  would  have  been  different.  We  are  all 
more  or  less  to  blame  for  it  all. 

"  Yet,  see  what  God  teaches  us.  For  a  time  careless- 
ness and  greed  and  the  worship  of  Mammon  may  abide, 
for  a  time  it  may  flourish  and  prosper,  but  after  all  there 
sits  a  God  iu  heaven  whose  laws  and  commandments  you 
cannot  throw  aside.  He  is  always  there,  and  when  a 
calamity  like  this  comes,  we  feel  His  power,  we  see  where 
we  have  sinned,  and  we  can  thank  Him  for  the  great 
lesson  taught  us. 

"  But  I  hear  you  ask  : — '  But  if  this  is  all  so,  why 
then  should  we  poor  God-loving  people  have  such  a  thing 
come  upon  us,  and  why  take  away  these  innocent  chil- 
dren ?  Why  does  it  not  come  upon  the  evil  and  sinful  ? ' 
And  I  answer  even  then  you  can  still  believe  in  Him. 
The  ways  of  God  are  past  our  understanding." 
VISITATION  A  MYSTERY. 

The  pastor  dwelt  upon  the  "  mystery "  of  such  a 
visitation  falling  upon  a  congregation  of  God-fearing  men 
and  women  at  the  hands  of  a  just  and  loving  Master.  He 
said  throughout  all  that  happened  his  faith  in  God  had 
not  been  shaken,  although,  in  spite  of  the  many  experien- 
ces he  had  passed  through  in  the  past  ten  days,  it  had 
often  been  difficult  for  him  to  bear  up  under  his 
burden. 

u  What  is  to  console  us  now?  "  he  asked.  "  What 
can  we  do  ?  Shall  we  continue  in  our  work  or  give  up  ? 
Answering  for  myself,  and  I  am  sure  for  the  great 
majority  of  my  people,  I  can  say  we  will  go  on.  This 
blow  has  given  me  greater  strength. 


266  SWIFT  JUSTICE  DEMANDED. 

# 

"  Negligence,  carelessness  and  greed  are  responsible 
for  this  awful  disaster.  I  thank  God  that  it  has  opened 
the  eyes  of  our  whole  city  and  the  whole  country  to  what 
is  required  to  save  thousands  of  others  from  a  like  fate. 
No  one  on  that  fatal  boat  died  in  vain.  The  laws  of  God 
cannot  be  violated,  even  if  human  laws  are. 

"  My  people,  I  call  upon  you  to  put  your  faith  in 
God  and  to  bear  up,  even  though  many  of  our  loved  ones 
are  gone.  Love  still  lives.  Love  cannot  be  killed.  We 
can  keep  our  love  and  with  it  the  memories  of  our  loved 
ones  who  have  gone  before.  In  this,  our  darkest  hour,  with 
all  our  burdens  and  afflictions  still  fresh  upon  us,  let  us 
look  up  to  God.  What  is  now  an  awful  calamity  may  in 
time  prove  a  blessing.  Our  cross  is  heavy,  but,  thank 
God,  it  is  not  too  heavy.' ' 

A  HEARTFELT  TRIBUTE. 

Tears  dimmed  the  pastor's  eyes  and  he  frequently 
choked  when  he  paid  a  glowing  tribute  to  the  officers  of 
the  church  and  Sunday  school  who  had  lost  their  lives. 
When  he  spoke  of  his  wife  and  daughter  he  was  near  the 
point  of  collapse. 

It  took  only  two  hours  for  the  big  pumps  of  the 
Merritt-Chapman  company  to  pump  dry  the  hull  of  the 
"  General  Slocum  "  as.  she  lay  on  the  flats  at  low  tide  off 
Riker's  Island.  When  the  tide  rose  the  "Slocum" 
floated  off,  and  as  she  lay  in  the  Sound  all  the  afternoon 
she  was  the  object  of  great  interest  to  all  passing  craft. 
As  finally  raised,  there  is  nothing  above  her  main  deck 
save  parts  of  her  machinery  and  the  two  paddle  boxes. 
While  the  hull  was  found  intact,  it  was  revealed  that  the 
fire  had  burned  all  through  the  inside  from  stem  to  stern. 
Chief  Wrecker  Tom  Kivlin  said  that  the  hull  might  be 


SWIFT  JUSTICE  DEMANDED.  2G7 

converted  into  a  coal  barge,  but  that  it  could  be  put  to  no 
other  use.     The  engines  are  only  old  iron. 

One  body  and  the  fragments  of  another,  together 
with  considerable  jewelry,  were  found  in  the  hull  when 
a  systematic  search  was  made. 

Some  of  the  jewelry  was  noticed  when  the  vessel  lay 
on  the  flat  the  night  before  and  this  led  to  an  order  from 
Inspector  Albertson  that  no  one  should  be  allowed  on  the 
vessel.  What  was  wrongly  construed  by  some  to  be  a 
clash  between  the  Federal  and  the  local  authorities  oc- 
curred as  a  result  of  this  order,  for  when  Roundsman 
Klute  and  two  patrolmen  of  the  Harbor  Squad  attempted 
to  go  aboard  the  hull  in  the  morning  to  get  a  body  which 
rested  on  the  deck  Assistant  Inspector  Foster,  attached 
to  the  Federal  inspection  bureau,  ordered  them  off  the 
vessel. 

BODY   WITH  JEWELRY   FOUND. 

Inspector-General  Uhler  happened  to  be  there  at  the 
time,  and  when  he  was  appealed  to  he  said  that  the  mat- 
ter was  for  the  chief  wrecker  to  decide.  Captain  Kivlin, 
the  master  wrecker,  decided  that  the  police  could  get  the 
body,  and  after  some  delay  it  was  removed.  It  was  the 
charred  body  of  a  young  boy  and  was  aft  of  the  port  pad- 
dle box. 

When  the  hull  had  been  entirely  emptied,  a  squad 
of  police  under  Sergeant  Posthoff  made  a  careful  search 
of  the  deck  and  parts  of  the  hull  that  was  not  filled  with 
debris.  They  found  near  the  stern  an  ankle  bone  and  a 
foot  of  a  child. 

Next  day  with  flags  at  half  mast  on  all  the  river 
craft  and  on  the  wharves  and  big  factories  on  the  East 
River  water  front  the  hulk  of  the  u  General  Slocum"  was 


268  SWIFT  JUSTICE  DEMANDED. 

towed  from  Flushing  flats  to  Robbins'  Dock,  in  the  Erie 
Basin. 

The  passage  down  the  river  was  impressive,  and 
there  was  a  dramatic  scene  when  the  hulk  of  the  steamer 
passed  the  Third  street  recreation  pier,  from  which  eleven 
days  before  she  had  sailed,  with  flags  flying,  a  band  play- 
ing and  about  fifteen  hundred  passengers,  most  of  whom 
met  death. 

Nearly  two  thousand  persons  thronged  the  pier. 
"  Hats  off,"  cried  Policeman  Essig,  of  the  Union  Market 
station,  who  was  on  duty  at  the  pier.  His  order  was 
obeyed,  and  men,  women  and  children  stood  there  with 
bowed  heads  as  the  wreck  passed  by.  Similar  scenes 
were  repeated  at  the  other  recreation  piers  on  the  Man- 
hattan and  Brooklyn  shores. 

WRECK  TOWED  AWAY. 

With  the  tugboats  " Hustler"  and  "Champion" 
lashed  respectively  on  her  port  and  starboard  side,  the 
"Slocum"  was  towed  from  the  Flushing  flats  shortly 
after  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning.  She  was  drawn  down 
the  river  by  the  tugs  "Unique"  and  "Briggs,"  whose 
hawsers  stretched  back  about  one  hundred  yards  to  the 
floating  wreck. 

When  the  little  flotilla  passed  the  point  where  the 
steamer  sank  while  burning,  the  flags  were  dipped.  The 
course  was  taken  through  the  west  channel,  passing  be- 
tween North  Brother  Island  and  the  Bronx  shore.  The 
police  steamer  "  Patrol "  and  the  Dock  Department  launch 
"  Queens,"  which  had  Inspector  Albertson  on  board,  took 
the  lead  to  clear  the  river  and  act  as  an  escort. 

With  the  hull  well  up  in  the  water,  but  listing 
slightly  to  port,  the  wrecked  craft  slowly  passed  North 


SWIFT  JUSTICE  DEMANDED.  269 

Brother  Island.  Part  of  the  starboard  wheelhouse  was 
standing,  but  the  port  wheelhouse  was  gone. 

At  the  Market  street  recreation  pier  and  on  the 
Brooklyn  Bridge  crowds  uncovered  their  heads  as  the 
"  Slocum  "  passed.  Just  as  the  flotilla  was  turning  into 
Buttermilk  Channel  on  the  way  to  the  Erie  Basin,  the 
u  Slocum's"  sister  vessel,  the  "  Grand  Republic,''  with 
flags  flying  at  half  mast  and  carrying  about  a  thousand 
excursionists,  cast  off  from  her  Battery  pier  bound  for 
Newburg. 

Inspector  Albertson  arrived  at  Robbins'  Dock  at 
eleven  o'clock.  He  received  word  later  that  the  hull  was 
sinking  and  sent  the  police  boat  "  Patrol  "  to  her  assist- 
ance. The  "  Patrol,"  however,  found  that  she  had  only 
about  a  foot  of  water  in  her  hold. 

CORONER  AGAIN  AT  WORK. 

Coroner  O' Gorman  was  again  busily  at  work  at 
North  Brother  Island.  His  infected  finger  was  lanced 
and  treated  by  Dr.  Horowitz,  who  said  the  Coroner  was 
in  no  present  danger.  Only  one  body  was  recovered  from 
the  river  during  the  day.  It  was  that  of  a  woman  about 
thirty-five  years  old  and  was  found  off  the  foot  of  East 
Fifty-second  street. 

Committees  representing  more  than  one  hundred 
labor  unions  and  lodges  attended  the  funeral  services  of 
Richard  Gerstenberger  and  his  wife  who  lost  their  lives 
on  the  "General  Slocum."  The  services  were  held  in 
Central  Hall,  No.  147  West  Thirty-second  street,  of  which 
Gerstenberger  was  a  member. 

Chief  among  developments  in  the  investigation  to 
fix  the  responsibility  for  the  burning  of  the  "  General 
Slocum  "  was  the  fact  that  Captain  Van  Schaick,    worn 


270  SWIFT  JUSTICE  DEMANDED. 

by  the  ordeal  of  his  trip  to  the  Coroner's  Court  Thursday, 
had  contracted  a  high  fever.  So  serious  was  his  con- 
dition that  his  nurse  after  examining  his  spine,  which 
was  injured  in  his  jump  from  the  pilot  house,  de- 
clared he  might  never  be  able  to  appear  in  court  and 
might  die  before  he  could  again  be  summoned  before  any 
tribunal. 

It  was  stated  that  if  Captain  Van  Schaick  suc- 
cumbed before  he  could  tell  his  side  of  the  tragedy  in  a 
court  of  record,  it  might  so  hamper  the  investigation  that 
most  of  those  who  are  actually  responsible  would  escape. 
Coroner  Berry  was  prepared,  if  necessary,  to  take  an 
ante-mortem  statement. 

CAPTAIN    DEFENDS   HIMSELF. 

Although  so  weak  he  could  scarcely  talk  above  a 
whisper,  the  captain  spoke  briefly  to  a  reporter.  The 
captain  was  informed  that  after  a  consultation  of  the 
authorities  it  had  been  decided  that  the  District  Attorney's 
ofHce,  by  reason  of  legal  procedure,  would  be  compelled 
practically  to  withdraw  from  the  case,  and  that  all  against 
whom  the  evidence  taken  pointed  probably  would  be  in- 
dicted by  the  United  States  Grand  Jury. 

"  Well,  I  can't  help  what  they  do.  I  did  my  best 
with  the  'Slocum,'  "  he  replied. 

He  was  reminded  that  in  his  first  statement  he  had 
declared  the  "Slocum"  to  be  half  way  between  the 
Sunken  Meadows  and  North  Brother  Island,  while 
Weaver,  assistant  pilot,  declared  they  were  at  One  Hun- 
dred and  Twenty-eighth  street.  The  captain's  statement 
would  place  the  boat  at  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-second 
street. 

"  Weaver  told  the  truth,"  he  said.  "  We  were  at  One 


SWIFT  JUSTICE  DEMANDED.  271 

Hundred  and  Twenty-eighth  street,  and  it  was  not  possi- 
ble for  nie  to  beach  her  at  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
ninth  street,  as  they  say  I  should  have  done." 

f<  But  how  do  you  reconcile  your  two  statements  ?  " 

"  I'm  not  going  to.  Not  now,  at  any  rate.  If  they 
ever  get  me  into  court  I'll  be  able  to  clear  that  up." 

11  What  have  you  to  say  about  the  statement  that  a 
boy  told  you  when  off  Blackwell's  Island  that  the  boai 
was  afire." 

"  Nothing.  How  could  a  boy  speak  to  me  when  I 
was  up  in  the  pilot  house  with  a  locked  door  between  us  ?  " 

RUMORS  OF  ANOTHER  FIRE. 

"  It  is  stated  by  a  number  of  people  that  there  was  a 
fire  on  the  '  Slocuin  '  the  day  before  the  disaster.  Was 
there?" 

"That  is  an  absolute  lie.  We  had  no  fire.  They 
say  that  the  blaze  was  smouldering  over  night.  When 
the  boat  started  going  she  was  a  wreck  in  a  half  hour. 
That  doesn't  look  much  like  a  smouldering  fire."  By  this 
time  the  captain  was  so  weak  his  hands  hung  at  his  side 
and  his  nurse  insisted  that  no  more  questions  be  asked 
of  him. 

"  If  it  becomes  a  necessity  the  Coroner  can  take  his 
statement,  but  he  is  in  so  serious  a  condition  now  that  I 
will  not  risk  his  life." 

While  Coroner  O'Gorman  and  Fire  Marshal  Freel 
were  at  work  on  the  hulk  of  the  "Slocuni,"  finding  new 
evidence  of  criminality,  Coroner  Berry  had  a  long  consul- 
tation with  Mr.  Jerome  and  Assistant  District  Attorney 
Garvan.  All  testimony  adduced  at  the  inquest  was  sum- 
marized and'weighed.  It  was  decided  that  on  the  strength 
of  this  evidence  a  number  of  criminal  prosecutions  could 


272  SWIFT  JUSTICE  DEMANDED. 

be  started  successfully,  but  the  question  of  jurisdiction 
resulted  in  United  States  District  Attorney  Burnett  being 
called  into  the  conference. 

Mr.  Burnett's  assistant,  Mr.  Wise,  attended  the  in- 
quest, and  he  was  able  to  advise  his  chief,  who  then  said : 

"I  have  ordered  the  Federal  Grand  Jury  to  assem- 
ble, and  at  the  first  practicable  moment  I  shall  lay  all 
the  facts  of  the  disaster  before  them.  I  must  decline  to 
discuss  the  evidence  or  to  say  against  whom  it  points,  but 
I  will  say  that  I  shall  ask  for  the  indictment  of  every 
guilty  person." 

MIGHT  HAVE  BEEN  AVOIDED. 

Although  the  Federal  authorities  would  not  com- 
mit themselves,  Coroner  Berry,  after  his  consultation 
with  them,  declared  emphatically  that  it  had  been  deter- 
mined beyond  all  doubt  that  the  catastrophe  could  have 
been  avoided,  and  that  criminal  prosecutions  certainly 
would  follow.  Late  in  the  day  he  was  informed  that  his 
associate  Coroner  had  found  in  the  hulk  of  the  "  Slo- 
cum"  seven  barrels  which  had  contained  oil.  He  was 
greatly  surprised  by  this,  as  the  witnesses  connected 
with  the  steamboat  had  made  sworn  statements  before 
him  that  there  were  only  three  oil  barrels  aboard  and 
that  they  were  part  of  the  boat's  equipment. 

Fire  Marshal  Freel,  who  with  Coroner  O' Gorman 
located  these  barrels  in  the  storeroom,  considered  the 
find  of  vast  importance,  inasmuch  as  it  is  another  indi- 
cation of  the  recklessness  of  the  officers  of  the  "  Slo- 
cum."  Near  these  barrels  were  portions  of  four  bodies, 
which  apparently  had  been  blown  to  atoms  by  an  explo- 
sion, while  there  were  indications  that  in  the  hold  were 
a  number  of  more  bodies.     The  divers  were  not  able  to 


SWIFT  JUSTICE  DEMANDED.  27A 

penetrate  far  into  the  debris  in  the  hold,  but  they  said 
there  was  a  deep  hole  in  the  river  bottom  near  the  wreck, 
in  which  they  thought  bodies  would  be  found. 

Among  the  newspaper  discussions  of  the  disaster 
was  the  following : 

"The  Coroner's  inquest  upon  the  New  York  excur- 
sion horror,  in  which  a  thousand  people  were  lost,  makes 
it  clear  that  the  death  of  a  large  number,  if  not  of  all,  of 
the  victims  was  due  wholly  or  in  part  to  official  and  com- 
mercial rottenness  and  American  recklessness.  It  is 
plain  that  the  Federal  law,  which  pays  the  steamboat 
inspectors  according  to  the  number  of  inspections  they 
make,  is  a  barbarous  and  ridiculous  statute,  worthy  of 
the  darkness  of  Korea  or  Mindanao.  The  method  of 
bringing  about  lax  inspection  is  to  pass  a  law  just  like 
the  one  in  force. 

LIFE   PRESERVERS  WERE  OLD. 

"The  evidence  before  the  Coroner  shows  that  no 
new  life-preservers  had  been  bought  by  the  company 
since  1895;  that  the  preservers  were  rotton,  and  that 
the  fire  hose  was  of  the  flimsiest  and  most  worthless 
sort — 16-cent  hose ;  the  kind  that  burst  and  was  worth- 
less when  put  to  the  test.  And  the  actual  fire  seems  to 
have  been  the  first  real  test  to  which  the  boat  was  put — 
the  boat  which  was  daily  freighted  with  hundreds  of 
human  beings. 

"  These  are  all  very  remarkable  facts  to  be  learned 
about  the  steamboat  business,  but  they  are  not  so  strik- 
ing and  horrible  as  the  testimony  given  by  the  chief 
engineer  of  the  i  Slocum,'  to  the  effect  that  he  had  never 
heard  of  such  a  thing  as  a  fire  drill  aboard  his  own  boat. 

"  There  is  little  more  to  be  said  after  that.       One  of 

18  N.Y. 


274  SWIFT  JUSTICE  DEMANDED. 

the  inspectors  has  said  that  political  l  pull '  prevented 
adequate  inspection  of  excursion  boats,  and  the  record  of 
the  '  Slocum '  will  incline  many  people  to  believe  the 
most  terrible  stories  of  the  rottenness  of  the  system.  It 
is  a  record  of  inefficiency^,  of  greed,  of  carelessness,  of  bad 
laws  and  incompetent  officials,  and  of  American  reckless- 
ness and  disregard  for  human  life." 

Another  journal  contains  the  following: — 
"  Two  different  systems  of  law  are  involved  in  the 
loss  of  nearly  a  thousand  lives  on  the  steamer  i  General 
Slocum.'  Federal  law  provides  for  the  inspection  and  de- 
termines the  character  of  life-preservers,  boats,  engine  and 
hull.  State  law  holds  all  within  its  jurisdiction  responsible 
for  carelessness  or  gross  neglect  where  human  life  is  con- 
cerned, 

EACH   SYSTEM  DEFECTIVE. 

"  Between  these  two,  accident  after  accident  happens 
because  neither  system  is  complete  and  efficient.  But 
the  chief  cause  for  the  loss  of  life  in  the  case  of  the 
'  Slocum '  is  due  simply  and  solely  to  the  fact  that 
Federal  law  looks  to  the  seaworthiness  of  a  craft  and  not 
to  its  safety  from  fire. 

"The  Coroner's  inquest  in  New  York  has  made 
perfectly  clear  the  responsibility  both  of  owners  and  of 
inspectors  for  the  condition  of  life  preservers  and  boats 
on  the  steamer  as  far  as  Federal  law  is  concerned.  Life- 
preservers  were  old,  rotten,  full  of  granulated  cork,  dead- 
ly instead  of  life-saving.  The  inspectors  had  passed  them 
without  examination.  The  owners  had  used  them  under 
knowledge  that  age  rendered  them  useless.  There  was 
no  fire  drill  If  the  boats  could  not  have  been  lowered, 
they  were  dangerously  near  this  condition.       This  was  a 


SWIFT  JUSTICE  DEMANDED.  275 

violation  of  both  systems  of  law — of  the  Federal  inspec- 
tion law  and  of  the  State  laws  protecting  human  life. 

"Serious  as  both  these  violations  are,  however,  they 
do  not  reach  the  root  of  the  matter.  The  frightful  loss 
of  life  on  the  '  General  Slocnm '  is  due  to  the  fact  that 
while  its  hull  was  perfectly  seaworthy,  so  far  as  any  risks 
of  navigation  to  which  it  was  exposed  was  concerned,  its 
superstructure  was  a  light,  three-story  affair,  on  pillars 
made  of  pine,  saturated  with  paint,  built  like  a  bonfire, 
and  certain  to  burn  like  one  the  instant  it  was  lighted. 
Nothing,  no  precautions,  no  life-preservers,  no  "lifeboats, 
could  prevent  a  terrible  loss  of  life  if  such  a  vessel  was 
crowded  when  it  took  fire. 

"Yet  this  construction  was  permitted  by  Federal 
law.  It  is  accepted  by  public  opinion.  Says  that  com- 
petent authority,  '  The  Engineering  News  }  : — 

NO  WORSE  THAN  OTHERS. 

"  c  Further  than  this — and  we  know  not  how  to  em- 
phasize this  too  strongly —  the  '  General  Slocuni '  was  no 
worse  a  fire  risk  than  the  average  river  or  sound  or  har- 
bor passenger  steamer,  in  use  all  over  the  United  States. 
She  was  a  fair  representation  of  the  prevailing  type. 
The  same  disaster  that  befel  her  may  befall  to-morrow 
any  one  of  the  thousands  of  such  craft  plying  on  Ameri- 
can inland  waters,  and  we  do  not  except  from  this  the 
so-called  finest  examples  of  the  steamboat  builder's  art 
plying  on  the  Sound  or  the  Hudson  River.' 

"  Of  this  there  can  be  no  doubt.  Unless  Congress 
prohibits  the  use  of  wooden  excursion  boats  and  requires 
a  slow  burning  construction  for  all  their  upper  works, 
such  disasters  will  come  periodically,  criminally,  as  long 
as  the  law  permits    "iic  sort  of  a  fire  trap  to  be  filled  with 


276 


SWIFT  JUSTICE  DEMANDED. 


human  beings ;  no  one  can  be  held  responsible  for  this 
particular  character  of  disaster,  but  it  is  the  basal,  funda- 
mental reason  for  the  loss  of  life.  Until  it  is  removed, 
these  disasters  will  always  come,  whenever  one  of  these 
boats  catches  fire.  Congress  must  act,  and  Congress 
alone  can  act,  and  the  only  action  which  will  be  effective 
is  the  prohibiton  of  these  light  wood  superstructures. 
This  killed ;  all  else  was  but  accessory  before  and  after 
the  fact." 


CHAPTER  XV: 
ORPHANS  CAST  UPON  THE  WORLD. 

IN  the  neat  tenements  of  the  stricken  parish  of  St. 
Mark's  Lutheran  Church  little  girls  took  upon  them- 
selves housewifely  cares  ;  upon  young  boys  were  thrust 
mature  duties  and  responsibilities,  and  bereaved  husbands 
and  fathers  clasping  their  hands  to  their  heads,  strove  in 
helpless  confusion  to  plan  life  anew.  Some  of  the  Sun- 
day school  children  who  left  their  homes  with  such 
gleeful  anticipation  on  the  morning  of  June  15,  came 
back  within  a  few  hours  with  hope  turned  to  bitterest 
despair,  fatherless  and  motherless. 

In  more  cases  the  father  had  remained  in  the  city  at 
work  and  consequently  the  children  were  only  half 
orphaned,  the  mother  being  lost  in  many  instances  try- 
ing to  save  her  children. 

Thus  the  number  of  the  East  Side's  " little  mothers" 
was  greatly  increased.  They  are  of  a  patient,  sturdy 
race,  most  of  the  children  afflicted  by  the  disaster,  and 
they  weep  and  work  by  turns.  As  the  days  pass  the 
weeping  lessens,  because  there  is  more  work  that 
must  be  done,  and  the  German  boys  and  girls,  however 
sore  their  hearts,  will  not  shirk.  In  addition  to  the 
household  responsibility  and  the  care  of  younger  children 
laid  upon  them  the  motherless  girls  were  deeply  con- 
cerned about  clothes. 

Not  for  the  world  would  one  of  them  ignore  the 
ceremonial  of  "  going  into  mourning."  When  the  meals 
are  done,  therefore,  the  dishes  washed,  the  floors  swept 

277 


278  ORPHANS  CAST  UPON  THE  WORLD. 

and  everything  in  order  as  mother  would  have  had  it, 
the  girls  sit  down  to  work  on  the  black  garments  with 
which  they  show  to  the  world  their  grief. 

The  east  side  German  district  is  a  revelation  to  those 
who  have  been  fairly  familiar  with  other  tenement  dis- 
tricts. There  is  no  sign  of  squalor,  nothing  but  neatness 
and  inviting  comfort.  There  is  poverty,  but  it  is  not 
hideous.  One  is  impressed  that  here  is  a  plain  people 
with  the  simple  virtues  and  self  respect.  In  house-to- 
house  visits  amoug  these  German  Lutherans  there  will 
not  be  found  any  sign  of  slatternliness  or  vice  in  one  case 
out  of  fifty. 

The  oilcloth-covered  floors,  even  when  worn,  are 
scrupulously  clean.  There  is  no  dust  on  the  furniture. 
Cupboards  are  neatly  curtained,  the  cooking  stove  shines 
and  the  beds  are  clean  and  neatly  made.  The  public 
halls  bear  evidence  that  the  janitress  does  her  full  duty. 

NOTED  FOR  INDEPENDENCE. 

In  these  rooms  that  bear  the  stamp  of  home,  however 
few  in  number  and  limited  in  size,  there  exists  a  whole- 
some family  life.  For  that  very  reason  the  grief  conse- 
quent upon  the  broken  circles  is  the  more  acute.  So  im- 
bued are  they  with  the  feeling  of  independence  and  self 
respect  that  with  the  entire  city  ready  to  empty  its 
pockets  in  token  of  sympathy,  it  has  been  extremely  diffi- 
cult to  gain  the  consent  to  accept  financial  aid. 

Mr.  Ridder,  chairman  of  the  Relief  Committee,  was 
in  despair  early  in  the  week.  The  Committee  was  meet- 
ing daily  and  its  chief  business  developed  into,  not  trying 
to  meet  demands  as  might  have  been  expected,  but  in 
trying  to  find  people  who  would  take  the  money. 

"Ask  the  public,"  Mr.  Ridder  said  to  the  newspaper 


ORPHANS  CAST  UPON  THE  WORLD.  279 

representatives,  "  to  send  us  word  of  the  needy.  They 
won't  come  to  us." 

School  teachers  and  the  police  were  pressed  into  ser- 
vice to  scour  the  neighborhood  and  report  where  aid  was 
needed,  when  tactful  emissaries  were  sent  to  see  that  it 
was  bestowed  in  such  fashion  that  there  should  be 
no  sting  of  patronage  or  charity.  Where  young  children 
have  had  no  parent  to  resent  the  efforts  of  help,  an  aged 
grandmother,  as  poor  as  they,  would  come  forward  and 
forbid  it, 

"  No,  no,"  cried  one,  "  it  would  be  thrown  up  to  them 
always  that  they  had  taken  charity.     It  must  not  be." 

"  I  had  enough  saved  to  pay  for  one  funeral,"  said 
another,  "but  I  did  not  think  to  have  five  at  one  time.  I 
will  pay  it,  though,  if  it  takes  me  two  or  three  years." 

CHURCH  OFFICERS  LOST. 

In  the  shrinking  from  outside  aid  lay  one  of  the 
reasons  for  the  delay  in  determining  the  exact  proportions 
of  the  disaster,  the  definite  numbers  of  the  dead,  injured 
and  orphaned  or  otherwise  dependent  persons.  Another 
serious  handicap  was  the  loss  of  so  many  of  the  officers 
of  the  church  and  Sunday  school.  The  officers  of  the 
Middle  Collegiate  Church,  more  than  seventy  of  whose 
children  were  on  the  excursion,  were  able  to  get  their  list 
in  shape  at  once  and  rendered  great  assistance  to  their 
afflicted  neighbors. 

The  appearance  of  the  children  indicated  more  clearly 
than  'anything  else  their  orphaned  state.  Under  the 
burden  of  responsibilities  they  grew  years  older  within 
a  few  days. 

The  plan  of  the  committee  in  dealing  with  the 
afflicted   was  made    with  regard  to  the  self-respect  and 


280  ORPHANS  CAST  UPON  THE  WORLD. 

the  sensitiveness  of  the  class  of  persons  with  whom 
they  had  to  deal.  Such  measure  of  help  was  given 
in  each  case  as  the  circumstances  required,  but  in  no  cir- 
cumstances are  children  to  be  placed  in  institutions. 

As  nearly  as  possible  they  are  to  have  such  homes 
provided  for  them  as  they  would  have  had  had  their 
parents  lived.  Where  relatives  are  able  and  willing  to  care 
for  the  children,  but  are  unable  to  assume  the  expense 
of  their  support,  they  will  be  paid  for  «*.. 

ORPHANS  TO  BE    PROVIDED  FOR. 

If  there  is  none  of  kin  to  undertake  the  responsibility 
families  of  as  near  the  same  grade  as  the  orphans'  as  can 
be  found  will  be  asked  to  undertake  the  charge  and  will 
be  suitably  paid.  Arrangements  will  be  made  for  all  chil- 
dren to  remain  in  school  until  they  are  sixteen  years  of  age. 

The  general  relief  committee  has  only  vaguely  out- 
lined conditions,  their  efforts  being  directed  chiefly  to- 
ward emergency  work.  A  special  permanent  committee 
will  be  formed,  the  Mayor  being  a  member  ex-officio,  to 
handle  the  funds  collected  and  apply  them  as  is  deemed 
necessary. 

Emphasis  will  be  laid  upon  the  money  being  a  free 
gift  of  the  people  to  meet  conditions  for  which  the  recip- 
ients were  in  no  way  at  fault. 

The  school  teachers  were  of  the  greatest  assistance  in 
dealing  with  this  difficult  problem.  They  know  the  cir- 
cumstances of  most  of  the  children,  and  they  receive 
confidence  that  would  not  be  given  to  others.  Many  of 
the  children  who  have  lost  members  of  their  families 
belong  to  the  old  Fifth  street  school  and  the  entire  teach- 
ing body  of  that  school  has  formed  itself  into  a  volun- 
teer  relief    committee,    upon    which    the   official   relief 


ORPHANS  CAST  UPON  THE  WORLD.  281 

committee  has  leaned  heavily.  In  addition  to  their  prac- 
tical work  in  aiding  the  sufferers,  the  teachers  have  given 
unusual  latitude  to  all  of  the  pupils  who  have  been  sor- 
rowing in  sympathy  with  their  afflicted  little  friends. 
Classes  have  been  excused  day  by  day  to  attend  the 
funerals  of  classmates  or  to  carry  flowers. 

Instead  of  the  usual  graduating  exercises  in  the 
girl's  department  an  affecting  memorial  service  was  held 
and  there  is  to  be  a  similar  one  for  the  boys.  Money 
which  was  to  have  been  used  for  class  festivities  was 
given  to  the  relief  committee. 

THOUGHTFUL  DONATION. 

It  is  the  custom  of  each  outgoing  class  to  present 
the  school  with  a  picture,  and  this  year's  class  had 
ordered  one  before  the  calamity.  Mr.  Williams,  a  Fifth 
avenue  dealer,  of  which  it  had  been  purchased,  refused 
to  take  the  money,  about  $35,  and  it  was  given  in  the 
name  of  the  class  for  the  benefit  of  pupils  of  the  school 
who  were  in  need. 

Members  of  the  Health  Protective  Association  and 
other  organizations  of  women  considered  a  proposition 
to  establish  a  neighborhood  house  where  relief  of  all 
kinds  could  be  given  sufferers  from  the  disaster. 

"The  men  need  women  to  get  the  children  ready 
lor  school,  to  cook  the  dinners  and  to  keep  their  homes 
together,"  said  a  member  of  the  committee  that  had  the 
matter  in  hand.  UI  think  we  should  take  a  house  in 
that  part  of  town  and  see  if  graduate  nurses  will  not 
come  there  to  live  and  give  their  services  in  return  for 
their  board.  Nothing  will  be  done  by  the  women,  how- 
ever, without  the  sanction  and  advice  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Haas,  of  St.  Mark's  Church." 


282  ORPHANS  CAST  UPON  THE  WORLD. 

Only  a  few  doors  away  the  Pottlebaums  were  gather- 
ing ready  to  move.  "  There  are  three  of  ns  boys  left," 
explained  Charlie.  "  That's  because  we  didn't  go  on 
the  excursion.  Our  father  and  mother  and  brother  are 
all  lost.  We  can't  keep  house  alone,  so  we  are  going  to 
Brooklyn  to  board." 

"  We  must  be  liberal  with  these  people,"  said  Mr, 
Julius  Harburger,  of  the  relief  committee.  "I  stand 
for  that.  This  money  has  been  raised  to  help  these 
people,  and  they  should  have  all  they  need," 

EXAMPLES  OF  THRIFT. 

The  number  of  children  who  were  left  without  father 
and  mother,  according  to  police  returns  was  only  fifteen, 
but  those  who  lost  one  parent  were  numbered  by  the  hun- 
dreds. 

In  a  small  tenement  on  a  top  floor  lived  the  Richer 
family.  Mr.  Richer  died  several  years  ago,  leaving  seven 
children  for  his  widow  to  rear.  Day  and  night  the  woman 
worked,  washing,  cleaning  offices,  doing  whatever  she 
could  and  keeping  her  children  in  school  as  long  as  she 
was  able. 

"Her  hands  were  hard,  but  her  children  were  always 
clean,"  said  a  neighbor. 

In  a  back  tenement  on  the  top  floor  of  the  next 
house  lived  her  mother,  Mrs.  Henning,  whom  she  sup- 
ported, sending  her  meals  to  her  up  the  stairs  and  over 
the  roof.  The  old  lady  could  not  stand  the  noise  of  the 
children  and  that  was  why  she  had  a  separate  tenement. 

Three  of  Mrs.  Richer' s  children  had  begun  to  work, 
and  she  could  see  her  way  to  taking  life  a  little  more 
easy.  When  the  excursion  was  planned  the  entire  family, 
with  the  exception  of  one  boy,  decided  to  take  advantage 


ORPHANS  CAST  UPON  THE  WORLD. 


283 


of  it  The  tired  mother  with  six  children  went  aboard 
the  pleasure  boat.     Six  bodies  were  buried  later, 

Frances,  the  ten-year-old-girl,  who  was  saved,  walked 
hand  in  hand  with  her  brother,  who  had  not  gone.  The 
boy  is  only  fifteen,  but  he  acts  like  a  grown  man.  The 
day  after  the  funeral  he  went  back  to  his  work  in  a  com- 
mission house  down  town,  but  his  employer  said  to  him 
in  kindly  fashion  : — "  Take  the  week  off ;  come  back  next 
Monday." 

"  I  was  glad,"  said  the  boy  simply  as  he  came  home 
and  took  off  his  coat,  "  for  now  I  can  get  the  moving 
done." 

With  a  little  help  he  moved  over  what  furniture 
would  be  needed  from  their  own  tenement  to  that  of  his 
grandmother.  The  children  will  live  with  her  for  the 
present. 

"  She  oughtn't  to  be  left  alone,"  explained  the  boy. 
"I  will  have  to  take  care  of  her  and  my  little  sister. 
Well,  I  don't  know  just  how  I'm  going  to  do  it,  but  I'll  man- 
age it  somehow.     There  isn't  any  one  else  to  do  it." 

HOW  THEY  WERE   SAVED. 

Frances  told  how  she  was  saved  : — "  I  couldn't  swim, 
but  I  tried  not  to  swallow  any  water.  They  taught  us 
that  in  school,  you  know.  And  pretty  soon  I  caught 
hold  of  a  boat  that  was  turned  upside  down." 

"  Then  Charlie  Trowbridge — he  lives  down  our 
street — came  and  saved  her,"  put  in  her  brother,  "He 
saved  her  and  Louisa  Motzer,  that  lives  across  the  street, 
and  two  others.  He  was  trying  to  save  the  fifth,  but  his 
hands  gave  out  and  he  couldn't.  His  hands  are  bad  yet. 
They  were  all  burned." 

Arthur    Wurmstich    lost   his    father,  mother    and 


284  ORPHANS  CAST  UPON  THE  WORLD. 

brother.     He   has   left  only  his  old  grandmother,  with 
whom  he  lives. 

"I  got  ashore  all  right,"  he  said,  simply,  when  asked 
about  his  experience.  Others  have  told  how  he  seized  two 
life  preservers  as  he  went  overboard,  but,  seeing  two  wo- 
men struggling  for  life  without  any,  he  gave  them  up 
and  took  his  chances.  A  little  later  he  was  picked  up  by 
a  boat. 

Mr.  Roberts,  the  principal  of  the  Fifth  street  school, 
attests  that  Arthur  is  not  only  a  brave  boy,  but  a  bright 
one.  He  stands  high  in  this  year's  graduating  class,  of 
which  he  is  a  member,  although  not  fourteen  years  of 
age.  The  boy  is  ambitious  and  hopes  to  enter  the  high 
school  in  the  fall. 

BAND  LEADER  LOST. 

His  father  was  for  several  years  the  leader  of  the 
band  that  played  for  excursion  parties  on  the  "  Grand 
Republic,"  the  "  General  Slocum's  "  twin.  Recently  he 
had  not  been  well  and  he  went  with  his  family  in  the 
hope  that  the  day's  outing  would  benefit  him. 

Alone  in  the  world  also  is  John  Klenck.  His  father 
died  some  time  ago  and  he  went  on  the  picnic  with  his 
mother  and  two  brothers,  one  older  and  one  younger  than 
himself. 

"  My  mother  tried  to  put  life  preservers  on  us,  but 
the  straps  broke,"  exclaimed  John.  MI  don't  know  how 
I  got»ashore.  Somebody  pulled  me  out,  I  think.  I  don't 
know  where  I'm  going  to  live,  I  haven't  any  home  now. 
I'll  go  up  town  with  my  aunt  awhile,  I  don't  know 
where  I'll  go  after  that." 

On  the  same  street  lived  the  Reuthingers,  thrifty 
folk,  whose  home  is  broken  up  by  death.     Mrs.  Reuth- 


ORPHANS  CAST  UPON  THE  WORLD.  285 

inger  perished  with  three  of  her  children.  "  My  mother 
could  have  saved  herself  if  it  hadn't  been  for  us  children," 
exclaimed  Elsie,  one  of  the  two  who  were  saved,  "  but  she 
threw  me  in  a  boat,  and  my  brother,  too,  and  then  she 
didn't  have  any  more  strength." 

There  are  four  orphan  boys  at  one  house,  George, 
William,  Harry  and  Louis  Weiss,  the  oldest  twenty-one 
years  of  age  and  the  youngest  three.  Their  father  died 
about  a  year  ago  of  consumption  and  their  mother  was 
lost  on  the  "  Slocum."  A  similar  case  is  the  Lanns,  the 
oldest  boy  being  only  nineteen  years  of  age.  Two  little 
Meyer  boys,  eight  and  nine  years  of  age  respectively, 
are  left  without  father  or  mother. 

"SUCH  A  GOOD  MOTHER." 

In  spotless  rooms  lived  the  Rosenagel  family,  hus- 
band and  wife,  their  little  daughters,  Lucy  and  Grace, 
and  the  old  grandmother.  Mrs,  Rosenagel  had  promised 
to  take  the  little  girls  on  the  Sunday  school  excursion  if 
the  day  was  fine.  When  the  panic  came  on  the  boat  she 
was  separated  from  her  daughters  and  was  lost. 

"She  was  such  a  good  mother,"  the  little  girls 
lamented,  "  always  making  nice  things  for  us  and  giving 
us  pleasure." 

As  an  evidence  of  her  thoughtfulness  the  confirma- 
tion dress  that  she  had  made  for  the  older  girl  was 
pointed  out  with  the  remark,  "  That's  all  hand  work  ; 
she  did  it." 

"  Ach,  yes,"  moaned  the  aged  mother  of  the  dead 
woman.  "  I  have  had  thirteen  strong  children  and  I 
have  lived  to  see  them  all  die  but  one.  Who  will  take 
care  of  me  now  she  is  dead  ?  " 

Across  the   street   from   the    Rosenagels    lived    the 


286  ORPHANS  CAST  UPON  THE  WORLD. 

Abesser  family.  Mr.  Abesser  is  an  electrical  bell  banger 
and  has  a  little  shop  on  the  street  floor.  All  day  and 
into  the  evening  he  sits  there  with  a  face  of  haunting 
sadness.  He  can  hardly  speak  even  to  those  who  come 
to  him  on  business.  His  wife  and  only  son  were  lost  and 
he  sent  his  motherless  little  girls  to  friends  in  Brooklyn. 
The  Middle  Church  sent  them  to  the  country  to  give  the 
distracted  father  a  chance  to  recover  and  make  some 
permanent  plan. 

"  I  had  to  send  my  little  Hattie  away,"  said  Mr. 
Felzke,  who  lost  his  wife  and  two  children.  "  She  is  all 
I  have  left,  but  she  couldn't  go  out  on  the  street  because 
every  one  would  talk  to  her  about  the  boat  and  she 
couldn't  stay  in  the  house  with  nobody  to  take  care  of  her. 
I  would  be  in  the  river  if  it  wasn't  for  her.  For  years  we 
struggled  and  struggled,  and  we  got  things  piece  by 
piece.  One  month  ago  we  moved  in  here.  I  think  it 
must  have  been  for  the  funerals.  My  month  is  up  now 
and  I  will  have  to  go — I  don't  know  where.  There  is 
no  one  to  make  a  home  for  me  and  my  Hattie,  Here  is 
a  letter  from  her."  The  child  wrote  a  bright  letter, 
evidentl}'  designed  to  cheer  her  sorrowing  father. 

Next  door,  another  little  girl,  Josephine  Diehl,  was 
bereft  of  her  mother,  two  sisters  and  a  grandmother, 
and  came  near  losing  her  own  life.  She  was  caught  in 
the  crowd  and  carried  under  the  boat.  Luckily  she  was 
rescued,  but  her  arm  was  broken  and  she  was  otherwise 
injured.  She  is  being  cared  for  by  relatives  in  the 
Bronx. 

UI  swam  ashore,"  said  Fred  Schmidt.  "  Edward 
Matzerath  and  I  swam  together  and  got  to  North  Brother 
Island.  The  swimming  was  all  right  just  as  soon  as  you 
got  out  of  the  tangle  of  the  bodies.     My  mother  couldn't 


ORPHANS  CAST  UPON  THE  WORLD.  287 

swim  and  she  and  my  sister  Anna  and  the  baby  were 
drowned." 

Another  happy  home  that  has  been  broken  up  by 
the  tragedy  is  that  of  the  Manheimers.  Little  Lillie 
Manheimer  lost  her  father  and  brother  and  heraunt,  for 
whom  she  was  named.  Mr.  Manheimer  had  taken  the 
little  girl  and  gone  to  live  with  relatives.  In  another 
Manheimer  family  the  mother  and  her  three  oldest  chil- 
dren were  lost,  leaving  only  an  eight-year-old  boy,  Otto. 

u  We  tried  to  do  all  the  things  the  school  teacher 
told  us,"  said  Mamie  Armhurst,  who,  with  her  sister, 
Florrie,  was  saved.  Her  mother  and  her  little  sister, 
Edna,  perished.  "  We  tried  to  take  strokes  and  keep  our 
heads  up  and  not  swallow  any  water.  We  were  awfully 
glad,  though,  when  a  boat  came  up  and  took  us  in,  espe- 
cially Florrie,  because  she  was  burned.  They  took  her  to 
the  hospital,  but  she's  all  right  now." 

LOADED  IN   WITH  THE   DEAD. 

Little  Louise  Beusch  was  so  badly  burned  that  she 
did  not  know  how  she  was  saved.  Her  mother  was  lost. 
Clara  Hartman,  the  eleven-year-old  girl  who  was  brought 
to  the  Alexander  avenue  police  station  with  a  load  of  dead 
persons,  recovered  rapidly  after  being  taken  to  the  Lin- 
coln Hospital  for  treatment,  but  when  she  got  over  the 
shock  of  her  own  experience  she  found  she  had  lost  her 
mother  and  sister. 

There  were  three  motherless  children  left  in  the  pretty 
home  of  Bernhard  Mueller,  where  the  father,  after  losing 
his  wife  and  baby,  was  lying  at  the  point  of  death  from 
pneumonia,  the  result  of  exposure  and  anxiety  during 
his  search  for  his  loved  ones.  Grover,  twelve  years  old  ; 
Walter,  nine,   and   Arthur,   six,  are  being  cared  for  by 


288  cyRPHANS  CAST  UPON  THE  WORLD. 

their  /  randmother,  Mrs.  Hager.  "I  wish  I'd  gone  with 
them/'  said  the  grandmother.  "I'd  have  been  willing  to 
give  iny  life  for  that  of  my  daughter." 

When  the  catastrophe  occurred  Mr.  Mueller  and  his 
family  were  on  the  upper  deck.  They  had  seen  the  fire 
in  Aime  to  prepare  themselves  for  the  panic.  The  father 
at  once  began  pulling  out  all  the  life  preservers  within 
reach.  One  he  placed  on  his  wife,  who  held  the  three- 
y  ear-old  baby,  Edgar,  in  her  arms.  He  then  fastened 
1  hem  successively  on  the  three  other  boys  and  handed 
mt  others  to  frantic  women. 

NEVER  SEEN  AGAIN. 

There  was  none  left  for  Mr.  Mueller  himself  when 
the  time  came  for  all  of  them  to  jump  into  the  water. 
The  mother  went  first  with  the  baby.  It  is  thought  that 
her  life  preserver  was  useless,  for,  although  she  was  a 
good  swimmer,  she  was  never  seen  alive  again. 

Mueller  lost  sight  of  his  wife  and  children  as  soon 
as  they  went  overboard.  He  arrived  at  his  home  at  half- 
past  twelve  o'clock,  drenched  to  the  skin,  inquiring 
frantically  for  news  of  his  wife  and  children.  He  refused 
to  take  time  to  put  on  dry  clothes,  but  at  once  started 
back  to  search  for  his  family. 

Grover,  Walter  and  Arthur  had  all  been  picked  up 
separately  by  rescuers.  They  were  snugly  tucked  away 
in  cots  in  Lincoln  Hospital  when  their  father  found  them. 
All  were  unharmed  except  Arthur,  the  youngest,  who 
was  burned  about  the  head. 

Little  Ernst  Mueller,  eight  years  old,  who  lives  in 
a  neat  little  home,  lost  his  mother,  brother  Henry  and 
baby  sister  Mary  in  the  disaster. 

"  We  were  all  on  the  deck  together,"  said  Ernst, 


ORPHANS  CAST  UPON  THE  WORLD.  2S9 

"only  papa  was  downstairs.  Then  everything  broke 
down  all  around  us.  I  rolled  over  on  to  a  tug  boat. 
That's  all  I  know." 

Ernst's  father,  George,  who  was  on  the  main  deck, 
made  desperate  attempts  to  reach  his  family  on  the  hur- 
ricane deck.  The  deck  collapsed  before  he  could  reach 
them,  however. 

"  I  don't  care  about  myself,"  he  said,  "  but  some- 
thing ought  to  be  done  for  a  lot  of  poor  folk.  So  long  as 
I  am  healthy  I  can  work  and  take  care  of  my  boy." 

Everything  in  the  neat  rooms  gave  evidence  of  the 
care  and  industry  of  the  mother  who  is  gone.  In  spite 
of  his  words,  the  father  seemed  quite  lost  as  he  sat  there 
holding  his  little  boy  on  his  knee. 

FOUR   MOTHERLESS  CHILDREN, 

Another  family  in  which  the  mother  is  sorely  missed 
is  that  of  the  Schnitzerlings.  Four  children  were  left 
motherless  there,  while  two  children  were  lost.  Conrad, 
the  father,  was  in  despair,  not  knowing  how  to  divide  his 
time  between  his  work  and  the  management  of  his  little 
brood.  Freddie  and  Annie  Schnitzerling,  respectively 
five  and  ten  years  old,  evidently  did  not  realize  the  terror 
of  the  experience  through  which  they  had  passed. 

11  We  tumbled  off  the  boat,"  said  Freddie.  The  rail- 
ing broke,  you  know,  and  there  we  was  in  the  water.  I 
didn't  like  it  a  bit,  but  somebody  fished  me  out,  just  as  if 
I  was  a  big  fish,  with  a  big  hook  on  the  end  of  a  pole. 
And  somebody  else  picked  Annie  up.  We  didn't  see 
mamma  again." 

Eleven  year  old  Johnny  McCarthy  lost  his  mother 
and  ten-year-old  brother  Jerry.  When  found  in  a  hos- 
pital his  hair  had   partly  turned  gray. 

19  N.Y. 


290  ORPHANS  CAST  UPON  THE  WORLD. 

"  Mother  and  I  took  down  life  preservers,  but  they 
all  fell  apart,' '  said  the  boy,  who  is  being  cared  for  by 
relatives.  "  I  jumped  into  a  rowboat  when  the  fire  came 
near,  but  mother  and  Jerry  were  lost." 

In  the  family  of  Henry  Heinz,  the  mother  and  two 
daughters  were  lost.  Two  boys,  Henry,  twelve,  and 
George,  sixteen  years  old,  were  saved  after  an  exciting 
experiencee. 

Little  Henry  lost  the  power  of  speech  for  three  days 
after  the  death  of  his  mother.  Always  a  quiet  and  re- 
served youngster  and  inclined  to  be  shy,  Henry  only 
burst  into  tears  whenever  he  was  questioned.  He  told  his 
father  how  he  climbed  a  pole  to  the  hurricane  deck  and 
then  fell  with  the  wrecked  deck  into  the  water.  He  was 
picked  up  by  men  in  a  rowboat. 

DIVED  FROM  THE  DECK. 

George  made  a  leap  from  the  hurricane  deck  into  the 
water.  He  struck  bottom  head  foremost,  but  was  unin- 
jured, and  swam  ashore. 

Thirteen-year-old  Arthur  Link,  the  son  of  a  widow, 
is  looked  upon  as  a  hero  by  the  Link  family's  neighbors, 
in  avenue  A.  When  the  panic  came  the  boy  didn't  lose 
his  presence  of  mind,  and,  surrounded  by  a  screaming 
throng  of  women  and  children,  he  determined  to  try  to 
save  another  life  besides  his  own. 

With  his  sister,  Lottie,  eight  years  old,  and  his 
brother,  Edward,  eleven,  Arthur  had  gone  on  the  excur- 
tion  with  Mrs.  Heckert,  and  the  latter' s  four  children. 

Mrs.  Heckert  had  in  her  arms  her  six  months  old 
baby,  Julia.  Arthur  snatched  the  baby  from  its  fright- 
ened mother  and  made  a  wild  jump  for  the  deck  of  a  tug- 
boat that  came  alongside. 


ORPHANS  CAST  UPON  THE  WORLD.  291 

"They  all  came  jumping  on  top  of  me  when  I  fell," 
said  Arthur,  u I  don't  know  what  happended  afterward, 
'cause  when  I  came  to  I  was  in  the  pilot  house.  I'd  got 
unconscious  an'  the  baby  wasn't  with  me  any  more." 

Little  Julia  was  picked  up  on  another  part  of  the 
deck,  badly  hurt,  and  she  died  soon  after,  in  spite  of  the 
boy's  plucky  effort  to  save  her.  Mrs.  Heckert  is  in  a 
serious  condition  at  her  home  from  burns  and  injuries. 
Two  of  her  children  were  saved. 

YOUNG  IRISH  IMMIGRANT. 

Mrs.  Lena  Link  is  naturally  proud  of  young  Arthur. 
Her  two  other  children,  Lottie  and  Edward,  lost  their 
lives. 

When  a  recapitulation  is  made  of  the  deeds  of  hero- 
ism that  attended  upon  the  "  Slocum  "  disaster  and  praise 
is  bestowed  with  a  judgment  made  clear  by  reflec- 
tion, few  who  then  dared  death  for  others  will  be  found 
more  worthy  of  a  monument  than  Mary  McCann,  Irish 
immigrant,  seventeen  years  old. 

So  conspicuous  was  her  bravery  and  so  unusual  the 
circumstances  surrounding  her  self-sacrifice  that  the  girl, 
who  is  poor,  won  the  interest  of  Assistant  District  Attor- 
ney, Francis  P.  Garvan,  who  provided  for  her  a  home 
where  she  will  be  cared  for  and  will  receive  an  education. 

Responsible  persons  who  have  been  thrilled  by  the 
recital  of  her  unselfish  daring  will  call  the  attention  of 
Andrew  Carnegie  to  her  deeds,  and  it  is  therefore  not 
improbable  that  she  will  be  benefited  by  the  hero  fund  he 
has  established. 

There  was  much  printed  during  the  following  ten 
days  oi  the  heroism  of  those  who  rescued  imperilled  ex- 
cursionists from  the  waters  around  North  Brother  Island. 


292  ORPHANS  CAST  UPON  THE  WORLD. 

Men  who  were  in  boats  and  brought  many  to  shore  re- 
ceived deserved  praise.  Policemen,  accustomed  to  risk 
their  lives,  plunged  from  skiffs  and  saved  those  who  were 
drowning.  A  nurse  girl  swam  for  the  first  time  in  her 
life,  and,  never  deserting  the  baby  she  held,  brought  it 
and  herself  in  safety  to  shallow  water. 

In  the  rush  of  these  things  the  story  of  Mary  Mc- 
Cann  was  almost  forgotton.  A  newspaper  on  the  day 
following  the  disaster  told  of  the  girl  saving  a  child's  life. 
After  that  she  seemed  to  have  disappeared.  There  was 
no  one  that  knew  anything  of  her  or  her  deeds  who  vol- 
unteered information,  and  her  own  modesty  so  cloaked 
her  that  the  true  story  of  her  heroism  when  the  "  Slo- 
cum"  burned  and  sank  with  the  dead  might  never  have 
been  known  had  she  not  been  an  essential  witness  for  the 
Coroner's  inquest.  In  that  way  she  came  under  the  at- 
tention of  Mr.  Garvan, 

HEROINE  ON  THE  WITNESS  STAND 

She  took  the  witness  stand  for  a  few  moments,  and 
an  effort  was  made  to  have  her  tell  what  she  had  done. 
But  the  girl  who  had  been  so  bold  when  men  faltered 
and  failed  became  shy,  her  voice  sank  to  a  whisper  and 
she  answered  only  in  monosyllables,  spoken  in  such  a 
low  tone  that  those  a  few  feet  away  could  not  hear  what 
she  said. 

When  she  had  concluded  her  testimony  she  went 
back  to  the  hospital,  where  she  rapidly  recovered  from 
her  exposure  on  the  day  the  "Slocum"  was  burned. 

Mary  McCann  came  to  this  country  from  Ireland  on 
May  1 1.  She  had  no  sooner  landed  than  she  was  stricken 
with  scarlet  fever  and  was  quickly  hustled  away  to  the 
hospital  for  contagious  diseases  on  North  Brother  Island. 


ORPHANS  CAST  UPON  THE  WORLD.  298 

The  pest  house  was  almost  her  only  knowledge  of  America 
until  the  day  of  the  disaster. 

She  fought  through  the  crucial  stages  of  the  disease 
and  was  almost  out  of  danger  on  June  15,  when  the 
alarm  ran  through  the  hospital  and  over  the  island 
that  a  steamboat  afire  was  coming  up  the  river.  Doctors, 
nurses,  those  patients  who  could  move,  engineers,  and 
nearly  every  one  ran  to  the  beach  toward  which  the 
doomed  vessel  was  coming. 

DID   NOBLE  WORK. 

There  is  another  story  of  a  heroism  somewhat  differ- 
ent from  Mary  McCann's  that  might  be  told  here.  It  is 
of  the  young  telephone  operator,  Miss  Lulu  McKibben, 
who  remained  at  her  post.  Uninstructed,  advised  by  no 
superior,  she  realized  the  kind  of  help  that  would  be 
needed  and  she  telephoned  to  the  hospitals  in  the  city  to 
send  doctors  and  ambulances  and  what  other  aid  they 
could  for  those  on  the  "  Slocum."  In  all  that  excitement 
she  calmly  stayed  behind  to  do  her  duty,  and  when  that 
was  done  she  went  to  the  beach  and  saved  lives  ;  but  that 
is  still  another  story. 

With  the  doctors  and  nurses  ran  Mary  McCann. 
She  was  weakened  from  the  long  fever.  She  had  learned 
to  swim  in  her  native  land  and  before  the  fever  had  been 
strong  and  active.  When  she  reached  the  shore  a  multi- 
tude of  men,  women  and  children  had  thrown  themselves 
into  the  water  to  escape  the  flames. 

The  young  girl  at  once  leaped  into  the  swift  current 
and  with  a  few  strokes  was  at  the  side  of  a  sinking  child. 
She  fought  off  the  hands  that  grabbed  at  her  and  bore 
her  burden  back  to  shore.  Giving  the  child  into  the 
care  of  others,  she  plunged  in  again.     This  time  her  ob- 


294  ORPHANS  CAST  UPON  THE  WORLD. 

ject  was  further  out  and  she  was  in  greater  danger;  but 
she  seized  a  little  girl  by  the  arm,  bore  her  safely  to 
where  waiting  arms  received  her,  and  was  back  again  in 
the  current  fighting  for  another  life. 

A  boy  not  far  away  had  just  disappeared,  but  the 
girl's  hand  seized  him  and  he  too  was  borne  back  to  safety 
by  Mary  McCann.  All  this  time  she  had  been  seized  by 
others  as  she  passed  and  sometimes  dragged  under  water. 

On  her  fourth  trip  she  had  caught  a  child  when 
frantic  hands  below  the  surface  clutched  her  skirt.  Other 
hands  seized  her  feet  and  she  sank,  but  did  not  relinquish 
her  burden.  Under  water  she  fought.  Her  skirt  was 
torn  from  her,  and  with  the  waist  of  her  dress  in  shreds 
she  came  to  the  surface,  still  holding  the  child. 

HAD  TO  BE  SAVED  HERSELF. 

She  was  very  weak  when  she  gained  the  shore  this 
time,  but  she  turned  again  to  the  dying.  Again  she 
breasted  the  current  and  was  soon  in  shallow  water  with 
the  fifth  child  that  she  saved  that  day. 

She  was  near  the  shore  with  this  child  when  the 
strain  told  upon  her  weakened  condition.  She  sank  with 
her  burden  still  in  her  arms  and  her  head  went  below 
the  water,  although  it  was  not  more  than  four  feet  deep 
at  that  place.  She  would  have  drowned  had  not  an 
assistant  of  Joseph  S.  Gaffney,  engineer  on  North  Brother 
Island,  been  watching.  He  leaped  to  her  side  and  picked 
her  up,  and  with  the  girl  in  one  arm  and  the  child  she 
had  saved  in  another  waded  ashore. 

Mary  McCann  was  unconscious.  She  was  taken  back 
to  the  hospital,  and  even  after  she  had  been  revived  the 
surgeon  shook  his  head  doubtfully,  for  such  exposure 
would  naturally  mean  a  great  deal  to  a  convalescent. 


ORPHANS  CAST  UPON  THE  WORLD. 


295 


But  she  did  not  die.  She  got  well,  or  very  nearly  well. 
And  to  no  one  did  she  tell  of  her  adventures  except  briefly 
and  as  one  tells  of  things  that  are  done  as  a  matter  of 
duty  and  not  for  praise.  But  the  surgeon  saw  and  Gaff- 
ney's  assistant  saw,  and  others  saw,  and  so  the  young 
immigrant  girl  became  a  valuable  witness  for  the  Coro- 
ner, And  now  she  may  learn  of  another  side  of  America. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
SLAUGHTER  CAUSED  BY  GREED. 

A  CORRESPONDENT  of  a  metropolitan  journal  sent 
the  following  sharp  letter  which  attracted  the  at- 
tention and  received  the  approval  of  a  multitude  of 
readers  : 

"  Of  what  use  to  investigate  the  cause  of  the  "  Gen- 
eral Slocum"  horror?  There  have  been  others,  and  pub- 
lic indignation  availed  nothing.  Will  it  avail  now  ?  Why 
should  we  murmur  ?  Only  twelve  hundred  of  the  common 
herd  were  lost.  It  was  merely  a  rather  sudden  thinning 
out— disagreeable,  of  course,  because  of  the  loss  of  the 
boat  and  all  those  fine  life  preservers.  But  the  herd  is 
still  large. 

"  What  matter  that  the  aged,  after  a  life  of  useful- 
ness, met  such  a  death  ;  that  hundreds  of  mothers  of  the 
middle  class,  which  produces  the  glorious  brain  and 
brawn  that  makes  America  what  she  is,  went  down  in  a 
furnace  of  fire  ;  that  the  cruel  waters  of  the  East  River 
were  a  daisy  field  of  baby  faces,  framed  with  tossing 
golden,  brown,  and  raven  locks  ?  What  matter  hearts  are 
broken  and  reason  is  dethroned  ? 

"  But  there  is  so  much  to  be  thankful  for  it  were 
folly  to  note  such  disagreeable  episodes.  Think  how 
really  horrible  it  would  have  been  had  a  wife,  mother,  or 
child  of  one  of  the  owners  of  the  "  General  Slocum  " 
gone  down  in  flame  or  wave ;  think  of  our  carefully 
constructed  and  sumptuous  ocean  liners,  satin  padded 
and  ponderously  luxurious  for  their  precious  cabin 
^96 


SLAUGHTER  CAUSED  BY  GREED.  297 

freight  ;  think  of  the  libraries  the  suffering  public  is  get- 
ting, and  the  priceless  tapestries  we  are  receiving. 

44  Think  of  some  of  our  Bible  class  instructors,  men 

of  millions,  who  hold  the  Bible  in  one  hand  and  figure 

out  the  next  week's  grab  with  the  other.     Think  of  the 

j  splendid  speed  records  of  automobiles.     If  our  fine  apart- 

•ment  houses  go  up  like  Jack's  beanstalk,  and,  perchance, 

one  falls,  let  us  not  get  fussy  about  it. 

14  It  is  said  there  are  no  tears  in  heaven — is  it  possi- 
ble St.  Peter's  hand  did  not  tremble  when  he  flung  wide 
the  gates  of  gold  to  admit  the  army  of  flame-scorched  and 
water-stained  murdered  innocents,  and  could  the  angels 
receive  them  unmoved  ? 

CRIMINAL    SELFISHNESS  AND  GREED. 

44  We  regard  with  horror  the  bloody  Juggernaut  of 
India — is  it  any  worse  than  our  own  Juggernauts  ?  Our 
blood  chills  when  we  contemplate  the  deeds  of  high- 
binders and  the  Mafia,  but  how  about  our  own  broad- 
clothed  stranglers  ? 

"In  the  name  of  reason  and  humanity,  let  us  turn 
the  Constitution  to  the  wall,  haul  down  Old  Glory,  fling 
off"  our  garb  and  mien  of  sanctity,  and  put  away  our  Bible 
until  we  purge  ourselves  of  criminal  selfishness  and  greed 
that  renders  us  unfit  to  touch  them." 

Another  correspondent  wrote  as  follows  : 

"The  letter  which  appeared  in  to-day's  issue  of  yotH* 
paper  entitled  'The  Sin  of  Man,  Not  the  Hand  of  God,' 
reminds  me  of  an  editorial  which  appeared  in  a  Western 
paper  not  long  ago.  It  began  something  like  this : 
1  When  are  we  going  to  stop  accusing  God  of  killing 
people,'  and  went  on  to  criticise  the  use  of  the  following 
in  resolutions  of  respect :     i  Whereas,  it  has  pleased  our 


298  SLAUGHTER  CAUSED  BY  GREED. 

Heavenly  Father  to  remove  from  our  midst  a  beloved 
brother,  etc.' 

"It  is  very  evident  to  me  that  one  of  two  things 
must  be  true,  either  God  is  always  responsible  for  all 
deaths  whether  from  disease  or  disaster,  or  He  is  respon- 
sible for  none.  If  He  plans  such  things  as  the  burning 
of  the  *  Slocum,'  can  inspection  or  non-inspection  change 
the  divine  plan  ? 

"  If  so,  why  punish  men  for  neglect  ?  If  in  accord- 
ance with  the  divine  plan,  could  it  be  changed  by  fire 
drill  and  apparatus  or  the  caretaking  of  men  ?  Or  ought 
we  to  wish  to  change  it  ? 

"  What  does  this  mean  :  '  Like  as  a  father  pitieth 
his  children  so  the  Lord  pitieth  them  that  fear  Him  ? ' 

CAN  LOVE  CHANGE? 

"Would  the  most  brutal  human  father  cause  his 
child  to  suffer  as  in  the  '  Slocum '  disaster  hundreds  of 
innocents  suffered?  And,  again,  'God  is  love'  and 
unchangeable.  Can  He  who  is  infinite  Life  change  His 
nature  and  cause  death  ?     - 

"  This  is  a  vital  question  and  one  which  we  should 
not  fear  to  look  squarely  in  the  face.  Surely  we  want  to 
know  the  truth  of  this  matter  in  justice  to  Him,  'who 
doeth  all  things  well/  'is  the  same  yesterday,  to-day, 
and  forever/  and  'is  no  respecter  of  persons.'  " 

The  newspaper  commented  as  follows  : 

"  As  might  have  been  expected,  the  fearful  disaster 
has  resulted  in  a  perfect  deluge  of  correspondence  upon 
the  subject  of  the 'Problem  of  Evil.'  This  newspaper, 
and  probably  every  other  one  in  the  city,  has  been  flooded 
with  letters,  long  and  short,  good,  bad  and  indifferent, 
filled  with  questions  that  no  man  can  answer. 


SLAUGHTER  CAUSED  BY  GREED.  299 

"  The  problem  of  evil  is  one  which,  up  to  date,  is 
Still  a  loug  way  from  being  settled.  A  bright  man  can 
make  a  very  plausible  argument  for  the  existence  of  evil 
in  the  world  of  an  all  wise,  all  powerful  and  all  merciful 
God,  and  another  man,  equally  bright,  can  demolish  the 
argument  in  a  trice, 

"  For  thousands  of  years  the  ablest  minds  on  earth 
have  been  seesawing  back  and  forth  upon  the  recondite 
theme,  and  from  present  indications  the  seesawing  is 
likely  to  continue  for  an  indefinite  period.  The  world  is 
a  very  large  affair,  and  man,  like  the  fly  on  St,  Peter's 
dome,  can  see  but  a  little  way  around  himself. 

SOME  THINGS  ARE   CLEAR. 

"  In  this  great  universe  there  is  room  for  '  boundless 
better '  as  well  as  for  (  boundless  worse,'  and  it  were  well 
for  us  not  to  be  too  blatantly  dogmatical,  one  way  or  the 
other.  In  the  meantime,  some  things  are  as  clear  as  a 
Colorado  sky.  We  have  but  to  open  our  eyes  to  see  in 
Nature  certain  plain  facts  which  one  does  not  need  to  be 
a  theologian  in  order  to  understand. 

"One  of  the  facts  that  we  see  in  Nature  is  that  of 
her  absolute  and  unswerving  democracy.  Nature  has  no 
favorites.  Her  sunshine  and  rain  fall  alike  upon  the  good 
and  the  evil,  the  just  and  the  unjust.  Her  storms  and 
floods,  her  pains  and  pestilences,  sweep  down  with  equa1 
fury  upon  saint  and  sinner,  millionaire  and  pauper.  In 
her  dealings  with  us  there  is  no  partiality  shown  to  any 
one.  She  treats  us  all  alike.  Before  her  high  tribunal 
we  all  are  equal. 

"From  the  cradle  to  the  grave  we  all  are  subjects  to 
the  same  laws,  and,  according  to  our  action,  receive  the 
same  treatment.     If  it  cannot  be  affirmed  that   Nature 


300  SLAUGHTER  CAUSED  BY  GREED. 

has  '  charity  for  all,'  it  certainly  cannot  be  denied  that 
she  has  '  malice  toward  none/ 

"  Another  fact  abont  Natnre  is  her  thoroughgoing 
honesty.  We  can  depend  upon  her.  She  never  lies  to  us. 
If  you  pay  her  price  she  delivers  to  you  the  goods  as  ad- 
vertised. Her  yea  is  yea ;  her  nay  is  nay  ;  and  she  never 
deceives  us. 

"  You  can  plant  corn  with  the  absolute  certainty  of 
conviction  that  you  will  reap  corn  and  not  something 
else.  You  can  launch  your  ship  upon  the  waters  know- 
ing that  if  it  is  properly  built  it  will  float.  You  can 
mix  your  chemicals  with  the  perfect  assurance  that 
certain  combinations  will  always  result  in  certain  effects. 
You  can  inflate  your  balloon  with  hydrogen  gas  and  feel 
perfectly  sure  that  when  the  rope  is  cut  it  will  rise.  You 
can  trust  Nature  all  along  the  line  with  the  very  com- 
fortable feeling  in  the  meantime  that  the  trust  will  not 
be  betrayed. 

WHERE  BLAME  BELONGS. 

"  And  this  brings  us  to  the  main  thought  of  this 
article — the  utter  senility  of  trying  to  lay  the  blame  of 
such  things  as  the  '  Slocum  '  disaster  upon  God.  We 
are  sufficiently  well  acquainted  with  the  ways  of  God,  as 
those  ways  are  outlined  in  the  economy  of  Nature  not  to 
be  delivered  into  any  fatal  disregard  of  the  same. 

"  We  know  that  water  will  drown  us  and  that  fire 
will  burn  us,  and  it  is  our  bounden  duty  to  govern  our- 
selves accordingly.  We  are  not  '  dumb,  unreasoning 
brutes.'  We  are  gifted  with  reason  ;  we  are  intelligent 
beings  ;  and  it  is  our  own  fault  if,  with  wide-open  eyes, 
we  walk  to  destruction. 

4 'We  know  enough  about  the  laws  of  Nature  to  figure 


SLAUGHTER  CAUSED  BY  GREED.  30i 

on  what  will  happen  if  we  do  certain  things,  or  fail  to  do 
them  ;  and  it  is  as  unjust  as  it  is  idiotic  to  lay  the  blame 
of  our  foolishness  upon  God.  It  is  high  time  that  all 
the  silly  talk  about  what  God  does  or  does  not  do,  per- 
mits or  does  not  permit,  had  forever  ceased.  It  means 
nothing  at  all. 

"  We  must  come  nearer  home.  It  is  ourselves  who 
do  or  fail  to  do,  who  permit  or  do  not  permit.  If  the 
"  General  Slocuni  "  had  been  a  fireproof  boat,  or  if,  being 
a  wooden  boat,  the  proper  thing  had  been  done  when  the 
fire  was  discovered,  there  would  have  been  no  calamity. 
We  may  theorize  as  much  as  we  like,  but  such  is  the 
plain  truth  in  the  case. 

LAWS  OF  NATURE  VIOLATED. 

"This  great  calamity  will  not  have  fallen  upon  us 
in  vain,  therefore,  if  it  serves  to  give  us  a  real  serious 
realization  of  the  truth  that  '  God  helps  those  who  help 
themselves,'  and  that  very  much  of  the  so-called  '  Mys- 
tery of  Providence '  is  nothing  more  or  less  than  the 
mystery  of  our  own  unaccountable  carelessness  of  the 
laws  of  Nature," 

The  burning  of  the  handsome  steamer,  "  General 
Slocum,"  in  the  East  River,  New  York,  with  over  1,500 
excursionists  on  board,  will  take  place  in  history  as  one 
of  the  saddest  and  most  pitiable  disasters  on  record.  It 
lacked  no  element  of  either  pathos  or  horror.  It  was  an 
occasion  of  festivity  suddenly  transformed  into  anguish 
and  ghastly  death.  No  premonition  of  the  awful  holo- 
caust entered  the  minds  of  the  light-hearted  mothers, 
relieved  for  the  day  of  all  domestic  care,  as  they  watched 
their  bright-faced  children  romping  the  decks  in  sheer 
delight. 


302  SLAUGHTER  CAUSED  BY  GREED. 

All  bright  and  bannered  the  gay  ship  swung  into 
the  stream,  and  to  the  strains  of  delicions  music,  threaded 
its  way  throngh  river-craft,  between  great  cities,  past 
green  islands,  with  no  dream  of  its  destiny.  Suddenly 
the  cry  of  "  fire"  rang  through  the  startled  throngs  and 
the  laughter  of  the  children  was  quenched  in  the  wild 
panic  that  followed  and  the  frantic  shrieks  of  parents 
calling  for  their  little  ones.  It  was  a  scene  of  horror 
which  memory  would  willingly  forget,  but  which  will 
linger  with  the  survivors  while  life  lasts. 

SCENE  OF  FIRE  AND  SMOKE. 

In  some  way,  not  yet  officially  determined,  the  fire 
originated  in  the  hold  of  the  vessel  and  spread  with  in- 
comprehensible rapidity.  As  the  steamer  was  swept  with 
smoke  and  flame,  many  leaped  into  the  river,  choosing 
Jleath  by  drowning  rather  than  by  fire.  Hundreds  were 
iriven  by  the  intense  heat  to  the  after  deck,  where  the 
railing  gave  way  and  were  precipitated,  a  living,  scream- 
ing cataract  into  the  cold  and  pitiless  river.  Others 
rushed  for  life-preservers  only  to  find  them  "rotten"  and 
worthless.  Before  the  vessel  could  be  beached  the  appal- 
ling disaster  was  complete. 

Many  of  the  bodies  recovered  were  burned  beyond 
all  recognition.  Death  was  no  respecter  of  persons. 
With  unrelenting  hand  it  seized  upon  old  and  youug. 
Compassionate  motherhood  and  innocent  infancy  were 
alike  victims  of  its  fury.  Its  hand  of  fire  spared  neither. 
The  maiden's  dream  and  the  lover's  hope  went  out  to- 
gether. Jeweled  wealth  and  pathetic  poverty  faced  death 
by  fire  hand  and  hand,  or  went  down  to  their  graves  in 
the  river  side  by  side. 

^ears  and  prayers  and  maternal  affection  were  alike 


SLAUGHTER  CAUSED  BY  GREED.  303 

unavailing  ;  and  while  the  blackened  ruins  of  the  wrecked 
ship  rise  out  of  the  water  a  pall  of  gloom  hangs  over  the 
great  city,  where  countless  homes  are  filled  with  incon- 
solable grief. 

The  public  will  pass  judgment  as  to  where  the  re- 
sponsibility for  this  fearful  crime  against  humanity  lies. 
Most  searching  investigations  are  in  progress  and  in  due 
time  the  accountability  will  be  officially  determined. 
But  no  one  can  forget  in  the  presence  of  a  disaster  such  as 
this  how  closely  our  highest  joy  treads  upon  the  heels  of 
our  deepest  sorrow,  or  that  the  day  of  anticipated  delight 
may  hold  for  us  only  desolation  and  anguish  of  heart. 

HIS  FOOTSTEPS  UNKNOWN. 

Where  we  look  for  light  we  may  find  only  darkness 
so  deep  that  not  a  star  seems  shining,  and  the  only 
sounds  we  hear  are  the  rending  of  heartstrings  and  the  sob- 
bings of  bowed  heads  that,  like  Rachel  weeping  for  her 
children,  will  not  be  comforted.  What  the  passing  hour 
may  bring  to  us  no  one  may  positively  know.  It  is  with 
God,  in  Whose  hands  we  all  are.  His  way  is  in  the  sea 
and  His  path  is  in  the  great  waters,  but  His  footsteps  are 
not  known. 

On  the  charred  deck  of  the  steamboat  "  General  Slo- 
cum,  "  at  Erie  Basin,  the  Coroner's  jury  engaged  in  in- 
vestigating the  disaster,  to  determine  the  responsibility 
for  the  loss  of  life,  heard  positive  testimony  that  the  fire 
had  originated  inside  a  partly  consumed  barrel  which 
they  saw  on  top  of  a  pile  of  rubbish. 

While  almost  every  vestige  of  the  wooden  super- 
structure of  the  big  excursion  boat  had  disappeared,  leav- 
ing the  huge  walking  beam,  the  boilers  and  some  gnarled 
pipes  and  iron   stairs  standing  alone,  the  forward  cabin, 


304  SLAUGHTER  CAUSED  BY  GREED. 

where  the  blaze  started,  was  damaged  to  a  comparatively 
small  extent. 

Barrels  filled  with  oil  within  a  few  feet  of  the  barrel 
originally  aflame  were  removed  from  the  hold  absolutely 
intact.  Camp  stools,  hay,  life  preservers,  canvas,  paint 
and  other  inflammable  material  removed  from  the  cabin 
gave  no  external  evidence  of  having  been  scorched, 
though  tugs  that  were  taken  near  the  "  General  Slocum" 
on  June  15  were  blistered  and  caught  fire.  The  explana- 
tion given  is  that  the  flames  rose  through  the  forward 
hatchway  and  were  wafted  aft  by  the  wind,  but  did  not 
spread  below  the  main  deck. 

JURY  VIEW  THE    COURSE. 

Arrangements  were  made  by  Coroner  Joseph  I. 
Berry,  of  the  Bronx,  to  take  the  jury  over  the  course 
taken  by  the  "  General  Slocum  "  on  the  day  of  the  fire. 
The  jurors  went  from  the  improvised  courtroom  to  the 
Second  Battery  Armory,  Bathgate  avenue  and  177th 
street,  in  automobiles  to  Clausen's  Point,  where  they 
stopped  for  luncheon. 

Coroner  Berry  had  arranged  to  hold  a  session  in  his 
courtroom  in  the  afternoon  and  had  subpoenaed  several 
witnesses  to  be  there  at  two  o'clock,  including  Captain 
William  Van  Schaick.  But  the  captain  and  others  were 
dismissed  until  next  morning  without  explanation,  as  the 
Coroner  was  unable  to  return  in  time  to  hear  them, 
Jurors  who  started  over  the  scene  of  the  disaster  with  the 
Coroner,  on  the  police  boat  "  Patrol "  were  anxious  to  see 
the  raised  hull,  and  so  the  trip  was  extended  far  beyond 
the  limits  originally  set. 

In  the  Erie  Basin  the  men  had  to  climb  over  a  tramp 
steamship  and  over  several  rickety  boards  into  the  black- 


SLAUGHTER  CAUSED  BY  GREED.  305 

ened  embers  of  trie  ill-fated  vessel.  Coroner  Berry,  who 
had  led  the  way,  assembled  the  jury  about  an  opening 
on  the  deck  down  which  there  had  formerly  been  stairs. 
On  one  side  were  piled  musty  life  preservers  with  long 
rents  through  which  granulated  cork  had  escaped,  bar- 
rels, boxes  of  bottles,  casks  and  rubbish  of  all  kinds,  in- 
cluding some  salt  meadow  hay,  such  as  is  used  for  pack- 
ing glasses. 

Thomas  F.  Freel,  former  fire  marshal,  working  on 
the  case  as  an  expert  for  the  District  Attorney,  was 
sworn  as  a  witness.  Standing  in  the  glare  of  the  sun, 
he  said  he  had  made  an  examination  of  the  hull  after  it 
had  been  raised,  and  had  found  forward  the  debris  that 
now  littered  that  portion  of  the  deck. 

BEGAN   IN  A  BARREL, 

"  Where  did  the  fire  originate?"  inquired  the 
Coroner. 

"  Inside  of  this  barrel,"  replied  Mr,  Freel,  indicat- 
ing one  by  his  side. 

It  had  contained  hay,  he  said,  and  the  evidence  was 
clear  that  the  flames  had  started  inside  and  burned 
upward.  The  boards  were  charred  from  within.  Some 
of  the  staves  had  been  burned  right  through  and  had 
evidently  fallen  blazing  upon  hay  scattered  on  the  floor. 
From  that  point  the  fire  had  leaped  to  the  stairs  and 
had  done  more  damage  to  the  upper  portion  of  the  cabin 
than  it  had  to  the  material  piled  around  the  barrel. 

Under  cross-examination  Mr.  Freel  said  the  boat 
had  been  under  water  for  eight  days  before  he  made  his 
examination,  and  he  could  not  tell  what  had  drifted  into 
the  cabin. 

On   the    return   of  the    jury  up  the  river  Captain 

N.Y.20 


306  SLAUGHTER  CAUSED  BY  GREED. 

Edward  Van  Woert  first  pilot  on  the  "  Slocum,"  took  the 
wheel  of  the  "  Patrol,"  going  over  as  nearly  as  possible 
the  same  conrse  that  he  had  taken  on  the  day  of  the 
disaster.  He  thought  the  "  Slocum  "  was  then  going  at 
approximately  the  same  speed  that  the  "Patrol"  had 
reached  at  that  point.  He  insisted  that,  to  his  mind, 
Captain  Van  Schaick  had  adopted  the  best  possible 
course  in  running  the  "  Slocum  "  as  close  as  possible  to 
the  North  Brother  Island  dock  and  then  beaching  her  just 
beyond  on  the  northwest  side  of  the  island. 

JURY  HAVE  AN  OPINION. 

Many  of  the  jurors  present  did  not  hesitate  to 
express  the  opinion  that  a  grave  mistake  in  judgment 
had  been  made  by  Captain  Van  Schaick  in  not  beaching 
the  boat  on  the  New  York  shore  at  some  point  between 
the  entrance  to  the  Great  Kill  and  the  south  shore  of 
North  Brother  Island. 

Assistant  District  Attorney  Francis  P.  Garvan  was 
especially  anxious  to  obtain  confirmation  of  rumors  that 
reached  him  that  there  was  a  fire  in  the  forward  cabin  of 
the  u  General  Slocum "  on  the  afternoon  of  June  14th, 
All  of  the  members  of  the  crew  of  the  "Slocum"  told 
Mr.  Garvan  that  they  did  not  know  of  any  fire  that 
occurred  on  June  14th. 

At  a  special  meeting  of  the  Mayor's  Relief  Committee 
named  to  look  after  the  survivors  of  "General  Slocum" 
disaster  announcement  was  made  by  Jacob  H.  SchifT, 
chairman  of  the  Relief  Committee,  that  $108,504.04  had 
been  received,  and  that  this  sum  was  considered  ample 
to  meet  all  demands.  The  subscription  list  has  been 
closed,  and  it  was  stated  that  the  $50,000  offered  by  the 
city  in  case  of  emergency  will  not  be  needed. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
STEAMBOAT  DIRECTORS  ARRESTED. 

ON  June  28th,  the  Coroner's  jury  brought  in  its  ver- 
dict. In  consequence  of  the  verdict,  Coroner 
Berry  of  The  Bronx  issued  warrants,  charging  man- 
slaughter in  the  second  degree,  for  President  Barnaby 
and  the  whole  board  of  directors  of  the  Knickerbocker 
Steamboat  Company,  which  owned  the  "  General  Slo- 
cum,"  also  for  the  "  Slocum's"  captain,  Van  Schaick  ;  for 
Mate  Edward  Flanagan,  for  Commodore  Pease  of  the 
Knickerbocker  fleet  and  for  United  States  Steamboat 
Inspector  Henry  Lundberg. 

Lundberg  was  surrendered  by  his  counsel  as  soon 
as  the  issuing  of  the  warrants  was  announced.  He  was 
admitted  to  bail  in  $1,000.  Mate  Flanagan,  who  had 
been  detained  in  a  room  in  the  Second  Battery's  armory, 
where  the  inquest  was  held,  was  brought  in  and  arrested. 
His  bail  was  set  at  $1,000,  which  he  furnished.  Presi- 
dent Barnaby  was  brought  uptown  by  his  counsel  and 
after  submitting  to  arrest  was  released  in  $5,000  bail. 

The  jury  came  into  court  at  quarter  to  9  o'clock  at 
night.  Coroner  Berry  asked  if  a  verdict  had  been 
reached.  Foreman  Thorn  was  so  hoarse  that  he  was 
unable  to  read  aloud  the  typewritten  document  he  car- 
ried. He  handed  it  to  a  fellow-juryman  to  read  for 
him. 

The  verdict  rehearsed  the  history  of  the  "  Slocum's  " 
trip  up  toward  the  Sound  until  she  was  destroyed.  The 
jury  expressed  its  belief  that  the  boat  was  not  equipped 

307 


308  STEAMBOAT  DIRECTORS  ARRESTED. 

with  proper  life-saving  or  fire-fighting  appliances,  and 
that  her  crew  was  neither  efficient  nor  well  drilled. 

It  was  held  that  President  Barnaby  and  his  associates 
as  directors,  especially  James  K.  Atkinson,  who  was  asso- 
ciated with  Mr.  Barnaby  as  managing  director,  were 
responsible  for  the  lack  of  provision  for  disaster  on  the 
"  Slocnm  ; "  Captain  Van  Schaick  was  charged  with 
criminal  neglect  of  duty  for  permitting  the  boat  to  be  in 
an  unsafe  condition,  so  was  Captain  Pease,  commodore  of 
the  company's  fleet ;  Mate  Flanagan  was  described  as  a 
coward,  and  attention  was  drawn  to  the  fact  that  he  had 
no  license  ;  Inspector  Lundberg  was  charged  with  not 
having  made  a  proper  inspection  of  the  "  Slocum." 

CHARGED  WITH   CRIMINAL  NEGLIGENCE. 

The  jury  charged  all  the  persons  it  named  with  crim- 
inal negligence.  The  Federal  prosecuting  officers  were 
asked  to  get  after  Lundberg,  Secretary  Cortelyou  was 
asked  to  take  steps  to  make  future  inspections  of  vessels 
in  this  harbor  "efficient  and  honest." 

As  soon  as  the  reading  of  the  verdict  was  over, 
Assistant  District  Attorney  Garvan  got  up  and  asked  the 
Coroner  to  issue  warrants  for  the  arrest  of  the  persons 
against  whom  the  jury's  verdict  had  made  charges, 

TerrenceJ.  McManus  and  ex-Judge  Dittenhoefer, 
counsel  for  the  Knickerbocker  directors,  jumped  into  the 
air  with  a  storm  of  objections, 

"It  would  be  an  outrage,"  said  Mr.  McManus,  "  to 
arrest  these  men  to-night.  They  can  be  found  to-mor- 
row without  any  trouble.  They  are  substantial  business 
men.     They  are  not  going  to  run  away  from  this  thing." 

"I  don't  see,"  said  Mr.  Garvan,  who  spoke  in  a  tone 
which  showed  the  weariness  caused  by  his  work  of  the 


STEAMBOAT  DIRECTORS  ARRESTED.  309 

last  two  weeks  over  the  case,  "  I  don't  see  why  these  two 
men  should  be  treated  any  better  or  any  worse;  or  in  any 
way  differently  from  any  other  men  charged  with  man- 
slaughter in  the  second  degree," 

"Oh,  I  don't  know!"  sneered  Mr.  McManus.  "I 
can't  remember  that  there  was  any  such  haste  to  arrest 
the  New  York  Central  directors  when  a  Coroner's  jury 
brought  in  a  verdict  against  them.  The  District  At- 
torney seems  to  see  why  some  people  should  be  treated 
differently  from  others." 

Mr.  Garvan  started  to  make  an  emphatic  reply  but 
was  restrained  by  Coroner  Berry,  who  said  that  he  would 
issue  the  warrants  at  once. 

OFFICIALS  PLACED   UNDER  BAIL. 

Former  Justice  Julius  Mayer  of  the  Court  of  Special 
Sessions  rose  to  say  that  he  represented  Inspector  Lund- 
berg,  who  was  present  and  desired  to  surrender  himself 
and  give  bail.  The  Coroner  admitted  him  to  bail  in 
$1,000.  Mr.  Mayer  suggested  during  the  proceedings 
that  he  doubted  whether  the  local  authorities  had  any 
jurisdiction  over  Lundberg  anyway,  but  he  said  he  would 
not  bring  up  the  question  at  the  moment. 

Mate  Flanagan  was  brought  in.  Mr.  Garvan  said 
he  would  be  satisfied  with  $1,000  bail  for  him.  The 
Coroner  said  he  would  fix  the  bail  at  $5,000.  Mr.  Mc- 
Manus asked  why  the  Coroner  wanted  more  bail  than 
the  District  Attorney,  and  the  bail  was  finally  fixed  at 
$1,000. 

Mr.  McManus  and  Mr.  Dittenhoefer  said  that  they 
would  go  out  and  try  to  find  as  many  of  their  clients  as 
possible.  At  half-past  10  they  appeared  with  Frank 
Barnaby  between  them.     Coroner  Berry  fixed  Barnaby's 


310  STEAMBOAT  DIRECTORS  ARRESTED. 

bail  at  $5,000,  and  it  was  furnished.  It  was  announced 
that  Assistant  Engineer  Brandow  and  Deckhands  Coak- 
ley  and  Twombly  would  be  committed  to  the  House  of 
Detention  as  witnesses. 

The  Coroner  left  the  Armory  at  a  little  after  11 
o'clock.  No  more  prisoners  were  brought  in  up  to  that 
time,  The  unserved  warrants  were  turned  over  to  Capt. 
Ferris,  of  the  Bathgate  avenue  station.  He  was  informed 
that  all  the  officers  of  the  company  would  surrender 
themselves  at  Coroner  Berry's  office  next  day. 

It  was  understood  that  the  case  is  not  likely  to  be 
prosecuted  in  the  courts  of  New  York  county,  and  would 
go  before  the  Federal  Grand  Jury. 

CAPTAIN  ON  WITNESS  STAND. 

Capt,  Van  Schaick  was  the  first  witness  of  the  day. 
He  was  brought  to  court  from  Lebanon  Hospital  in  an 
ambulance,  attended  by  a  hospital  physician.  He  was 
carried  to  the  court  room  in  a  wheel  chair,  and  on  it 
lifted  to  the  witness  stand.  The  captain's  right  heel  was 
broken  by  jumping  on  the  rocks  after  the  steamer  was 
beached,  his  spine  was  injured,  and  his  hands  and  face 
were  burned.  The  injured  foot  was  in  a  plaster  cast  and 
the  leg  in  a  sling. 

In  answer  to  preliminary  questions,  he  said  he  was 
53  years  old.  Then  he  corrected  himself  and  said  he 
was  63.  He  said  he  had  been  a  pilot  forty  years,  licensed 
master  thirty  years,  and  had  been  captain  of  the  "  Slo- 
cum"  since  she  was  built.  Almost  at  the  outset  Terrence 
J.  McManus,  attorney  for  the  Knickerbocker  Steamboat 
Company,  interrupted. 

"  This  witness  is  under  arrest.  It  is  the  desire  of 
the  District  Attorney'  to  get  him  to  testify  to  things  on 


STF.AMBOAT  DIRECTORS  ARRESTT.   .  jll 

which  a  possible  indictment  may  be  predicated.  I  have 
advised  him  to  refuse  to  answer  all  questions,  but  it 
should  be  distinctly  understood  that  he  does  not  refuse 
to  answer  on  the  ground  that  it  would  incriminate  or  de- 
grade him." 

11  The  witness  is  not  under  arrest,"  said  Coroner 
Berry.  "  He  is  only,  technically  speaking,  in  the  House 
of  Detention.  The  witness  must  either  testify  or  refuse 
to  do  so  because  he  believes  his  answers  would  tend  to 
incriminate  or  degrade  him." 

A  long  wrangle  ensued  and  when  Mr.  Garvan  got 
back  to  the  witness  Captain  Van  Schaick  declined  to 
answer  whether  he  had  ever  had  anything  to  do  with  the 
fire  apparatus  or  not.     The  examination  went  on  : 

NUMBER  OF  PASSENGERS  ALLOWED. 

Q.  How  many  life  preservers  were  bought  for  the 
"Slocuni  "  since  she  was  launched  ?  A.  From  200  to 
300.  She  was  first  allowed  to  carry  2,500  passengers. 
In  1895  she  got  a  permit  to  carry  2,750,  and  at  that  time 
the  new  life  preservers  were  bought. 

Q.  Since  1891  have  any  life  preservers  been  con- 
demned by  the  United  States  steamboat  inspectors  ?  A. 
Maybe  four  or  five. 

Q,  Have  you  condemned  any  since  1891  ?  A.  Maybe 
fifteen  or  twenty. 

Q.  Were  any  of  the  life  preservers  bought  since 
1891  ?  A.  No,  but  something  like  300  were  repaired  by 
sewing  on  new  straps. 

The  witness  said  that  he  had  never  discussed  the 
equipment  of  the  uSlocum"  with  Frank  A.  Barnaby, 
president  of  the  Knickerbocker  Steamboat  Company  or 
with  any  other  of  the  company's  officers,  except  Secretary 


312  STEAMBOAT  DIRECTORS  ARRESTED. 

Atkinson.  Captain  Van  Schaick  said  that  Mr.  Atkinson 
was  aboard  the  "Slocum"  before  the  excursion  started 
and  remarked  that  the  boat  was  in  fine  shape.  Mr,  Gar- 
van  asked  if  Mr.  Barnaby  or  any  of 'the  other  officers,  ex- 
cept Mr.  Atkinson,  had  ever  made  any  inquiry  as  to  the 
equipment  of  the  boat.  The  captain  replied  that  no  such 
inquiries  had  ever  been  made. 

"  Did  Lundberg  reject  any  of  your  life-preservers  ?  " 
asked  Mr.  Garvan. 

"  I  believe  he  rejected  one.     He  said  it  looked  dirty." 

This  reply  brought  out  laughter  all  over  the  court 
room. 

"  How  long  had  the  hose  nearest  the  compartment 
where  the  fire  started  been 'in  use  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Garvan. 

OLD  HOSE  LONG  IN   USE. 

"  All  that  hose  had  been  in  use  since  the  boat  was 
built,"  was  the  reply. 

"Did  Lundberg  make  any  tests  of  the  hose  ?  " 

"  No,  sir ;  not  so  far  as  I  saw." 

The  witness  stated  that  he  had  not  tested  the  life- 
boats or  life  rafts  this  year,  and  seemed  to  be  surprised 
that  Mr.  Garvan  should  ask  such  a  foolish  question.  He 
insisted,  however,  in  contradiction  of  all  the  other  wit- 
nesses, that  there  had  been  fire  drills  on  the  "Slocum" 
this  season.  There  had  been  as  many  as  three  or  four 
fire  drills.     This  followed  : 

Q.  Well,  what  did  they  consist  of?  A.  Oh,  run- 
ning water  through  the  hose  and  showing  the  crew  about 
the  life  preservers. 

Q.  Can't  you  give  any  more  details  ?  A.  No,  I 
can't  go  into  details,  and  am  getting  very  tired. 

Capt.  Van  Schaick  was  permitted  to  take  a  rest  for 


STEAMBOAT  DIRECTORS  ARRESTED.  813 

an  hour  and  was  then  recalled.  When  he  took  the  stand 
again  he  was  asked  where  he  was  when  the  fire  was  dis- 
covered. In  answer  to  that  question  and  to  others  that 
followed  it  the  captain  said  : 

"When  I  first  heard  of  the  fire  I  was  in  the  pilot 
•  house.  We  were  then  about  three  lengths  north  of  the 
Sunken  Meadows.  I  ordered  that  she  be  sent  ahead  at 
full  speed  and  then  went  down  to  see  what  the  fire 
amounted  to.  I  got  part  way  down  and  the  fire  drove  me 
back.  It  was  sweeping  up  from  below  like  a  tornado. 
I  saw  that  I  could  do  nothing  there,  so  I  rushed  back  to 
the  pilot  house  and  said  to  Capt.  Van  Woert : 

ORDERS  TO  BEACH  THE  BOAT. 

" l  Capt.  Ed.,  she  is  gone.  Beach  her  on  North 
Brother  Island  as  soon  as  you  can.  Skin  the  dock  at  the 
island  and  put  her  on  the  beach  starboard  side  toward 
the  island,  so  that  the  people  can  get  off  away  from  the 
fire.' 

"  Then  I  took  a  position  about  fifteen  feet  forward  of 
the  pilot  house  and  directed  the  work  of  beaching  the 
boat.  After  she  was  beached  I  jumped  overboard  and 
injured  myself  and  got  ashore  as  best  I  could." 

"  Did  you  see  any  of  the  crew  ?  " 

"  No,  they  were  two  decks  below  me." 

"Were  the  boats  lowered?  " 

11  Why,  no.     There  was  not  time  for   anything  like 
that." 

Judge  Dittenhoefer  asked  Capt.  Van  Schaick  how 
many  passengers  he  had  carried  in  the  course  of  his 
career  as  a  river  captain. 

"Well,"  replied  the  witness,  "  I  figured  up  three  or 
four  years  ago  that  up  to  that  time   I  had  carried  about 


314  STEAMBOAT  DIRECTORS  ARRESTED. 

30,000,000  people,  and  not  one  of  them  received  injury  of 
any  kind  while  they  were  in  my  charge." 

Jacob  S.  Jacobs,  the  candy  man,  and  August  Lntjens, 
cashier  of  the  bar  aboard  the  "Slocum,"  were  called  when 
Captain  Van  Schaick  was  permitted  to  leave  the  stand 
to  take  a  rest.  Jacobs  said  that  he  had  great  difficulty 
in  pulling  down  the  life-preservers,  that  there  was  none 
of  the  crew  around  to  give  any  help  and  that  he  didn't 
see  the  captain  from  the  time  the  fire  was  discovered 
until  the  boat  was  beached.  Lutjens  said  that  he  saw 
the  captain  soon  after  the  steamer  started,  and  Van 
Schaick  said:  "  Lutjens,  don't  give  my  men  too  much 
to  drink  to-day." 

SMOKE  FROM  FORWARD  CABIN. 

Lutjens  said  that  he  saw  smoke  coming  out  of  the 
forward  cabin  when  the  "Slocum"  was  about  off  Nine- 
tieth street.  He  fixed  that  point,  because  a  moment 
afterward  he  noticed  the  Ninety-second  street  ferry.  Ho 
said  he  saw  the  men  uncoiling  hose,  but  that  no  water 
came  through  it.  They  worked  at  the  hose  a  short  time 
and  then  j  umped  overboard. 

Frank  Perditzki,  an  unusually  bright  lad  of  four- 
teen, who  went  on  the  excursion  with  his  mother,  told 
about  the  clearest  stor}^  of  the  fire  that  was  told  during 
the  inquest.     He  said: 

"  I  was  near  the  pilot  house  and  saw  smoke  coming 
up  from  below.  The  captain  was  in  the  pilot  house  and 
I  shouted  to  him  that  there  was  a  fire  on  board.  He 
shouted  back: 

"  ( Shut  up  and  mind  your  business !'  " 

"  The  boat  was  then  opposite  East  Eighty-third 
street.   I  went  down  on  the  main  deck  to  find  my  mother, 


STEAMBOAT  DIRECTORS  ARRESTED.  315 

but  when  I  couldn't  I  jumped  overboard  and  swam  ashore 
on  North  Brother  Island.7' 

"  How  do  you  know  the  boat  was  off  East  Eighty- 
third  street  when  you  first  saw  the  fire  ?"  asked  Mr. 
Garvan, 

"  I  know,"  answered  the  lad,  "  because  I  saw  the 
East  River  Park,  which  is  there,  and  I  know  that  park 
well. 

James  A.  Dumont,  United  States  local  inspector  of 
hulls  at  New  York  and  formerly  supervising  inspector- 
general  of  the  United  States  Steamboat  Inspection  Ser- 
vice, was  called.  He  said  it  had  never  been  the  practice 
to  license  mates,  except  on  oceangoing  vessels,  unless 
captains  insisted  on  it.  Then  a  license  was  issued  if  the 
applicant  showed  he  knew  how  to  stow  cargo.  Mr.  Du- 
mont said  that  it  had  been  the  invariable  ruling  of  the 
Board  of  United  States  Steamboat  Inspectors  that  river 
vessels,  unless  cargo-carrying  boats,  had  no  hold.  There- 
fore, the  "Slocum"  had  no  hold. 

INSPECTORS  TAUGHT   BUSINESS. 

Then  Mr.  Dumont  told  how  assistant  inspectors  of 
hulls,  like  Henry  Lundberg,  who  inspected  the  "Slo- 
cum,"  were  taught  their  business.  A  probationer  was 
sent  out  with  experienced  inspectors  for  three  weeks  and 
told  to  watch  what  they  did.  Then  they  were  sent  out 
by  themselves.  He  said  it  was  no  part  of  Lundberg's 
duty  to  further  inspect  life-preservers  than  to  see  that 
they  contained  no  large  holes  and  that  the  straps  were  on. 

The  quality  of  all  life-preservers  is  passed  on  and 
they  are  stamped  where  they  are  made.  That  they  are 
stamped  is  prima  facie  evidence  to  an  assistant  inspector 
that  they  are  all  right.  Life-preservers,  with  proper  care, 


316  STEAMBOAT  DIRECTORS  ARRESTED. 

the  witness  said,  might  be  serviceable  for  ioo  years.  It 
was  not  the  business  of  an  assistant  inspector  to  test  pre- 
servers in  the  water  or  take  from  the  boat  life  belts  he 
had  condemned. 

Former  Justice  Julius  Mayer,  chief  counsel  for  Lund- 
berg,  was  in  court  for  the  first  time.  Dumont's  testi- 
mony was  so  altogether  favorable  to  Lundberg  that  Mr. 
Mayer  sprung  a  surprise  by  calling  his  man  to  the  stand 
as  Dumont  stepped  down.  Then  Mr.  Mayer  said : 

REFUSED  TO  TESTIFY. 

"  I  have  had  to  be  out  of  town  for  several  days. 
When  I  left  I  gave  directions  to  Lundberg  to  refuse  to 
testify  on  the  ground  that  it  might  incriminate  or  de- 
grade him.  I  took  that  precaution  because  I  didn't  know 
what  might  happen.  But  Mr.  Dumont  has  substantiated 
the  story  told  to  me  by  my  client  respecting  his  duties  in 
every  particular.  Lundberg  has  been  anxious  to  tell  his 
story,  and  now  he'll  have  his  chance.  Lundberg,  go 
ahead  and  tell  the  jury  what  you  did  by  way  of  inspect- 
ing the  'Slocum.'  " 

The  young  man  went  on  and  told  a  straight  story  of 
what  he  did,  and  when  asked  by  this  or  that  juror  why 
he  wasn't  more  thorough  in  this  or  that  particular  he 
said  he'd  never  been  taught  to  do  more  than  he  had  done. 
That  which  he  had  done  was  just  what  Dumont  said  was 
required  of  an  assistant  inspector  of  hulls.  When  neither 
Mr.  Garvan  nor  any  of  the  jury  was  able  to  shake  Lund- 
berg, Juror  Cabot  asked  : 

"  What's  it  worth  to  you  to  inspect  a  boat  ?  " 
Judge  Mayer  was  on  his  feet  in  a  jiffy  and  said  : 
"  If  the  Court  please,  I  object  to  the  question,  and  I 
resent  the  insult  which  it  implies.    Furthermore,  I  chal- 


STEAMBOAT  DIRECTORS  ARRESTED.  317 

2er»^e,  here  and  now,  the  right  of  that  jnror  to  sit  longer 
in  this  case.  That  question  proves  that  he  has  forfeited 
all  rights  to  sit  in  judgment  here." 

"I  think,"  said  Coroner  Berry,  "  that  the  juror 
meant  no  insult.  I  think  he  intended  to  ask  what  salary 
Lundberg  gets.  If,  Mr.  Cabot,  you  meant  what  Judge 
Mayer  thinks  you  meant,  you  should  have  never  said  it 
and  you  must  withdraw  it." 

Cabot  jumped  into  the  opening  which  the  Coroner 
had  made  and  said  he  referred  to  salary.  Lundberg  said 
he  got  $2,000  a  year.  After  James  K.  Atkinson,  secre- 
tary of  the  Knickerbocker  Steamboat  Company,  had  pro- 
duced the  minutes  of  the  company's  meetings,  Coroner 
Berry  charged  the  jury,  in  part,  as  follows  : 

STRONG  LANGUAGE  OF  CORONER. 

u  A  fortnight  ago  it  was  inconceivable  that  the  ap- 
palling disaster  we  have  just  finished  investigating  could 
occur  in  waters  about  our  city.  People  had  the  utmost 
confidence  that  they  were  safeguarded  on  pleasure  trips 
of  the  character  of  the  St.  Mark's  Lutheran  Sunday 
school  excursion. 

"  Yet,  within  an  hour  after  the  '  General  Slocum ' 
left  the  Third  street  pier  she  was  a  burned  wreck,  and 
nearly  1,000  of  her  passengers  were  either  burned  or 
drowned.  It  is  your  duty  to  determine  whether  these 
deaths,  or  any  of  them,  were  due  to  the  criminal  negli- 
gence of  any  other  person  or  persons. 

"  The  law  requires  a  carrier  of  passengers  to  exercise 
the  strictest  vigilance  in  receiving  a  passenger,  convey- 
ing him  to  his  destination  and  setting  him  down  in 
safety.  A  passenger  cannot  know,  nor  is  he  presumed 
to  know,  anything  about  the  machinery  of  a  ship  or  its 


T 

318  STEAMBOAT  DIRECTORS  ARRESTED. 

equipment  or  appliances.  He  has  paid  his  passage  and 
is  wholly  passive  in  the  hands  of  and  is  at  the  mercy  of 
the  vessel,  their  agents  and  employees. 

"The  highest  court  of  this  State— the  Court  of  Ap- 
peals— has  held  that  the  rule  requires  no  such  particular 
precaution  as  became  apparent  after  a  disaster,  which 
might  have  prevented  its  consequences,  but  such  precau- 
tions as  would  be  dictated  by  the  utmost  care  and  pru- 
dence of  a  very  cautious  person  before  the  disaster,  and 
without  knowledge  that  it  was  to  occur. 

MATTERS  TO  BE  CONSIDERED. 

"You  should  consider  the  business  in  which  the 
vessel  was  employed,  the  character  of  the  excursion 
parties  it  was  expected  to  carry,  the  number  of  passen- 
gers it  carried,  and  also  the  fact  that  as  a  rule  such  ex- 
cursions were  made  up  largely  of  women  and  children. 
The  care  that  might  be  sufficient  to  guard  the  safety  of 
ablebodied  men  might  not  be  sufficient  for  others  physi- 
cally less  able  to  take  care  of  themselves. 

"  The  first  question,  therefore,  for  you  to  determine  is 
whether  or  not  such  care  and  prudence  to  guard  against 
the  catastrophe  was  employed  in  the  fire  equipment  and 
the  life-saving  appliances  of  the  '  General  Slocum,'  as 
a  cautious  man,  mindful  of  the  dangers  and  possibilities 
of  the  business  in  which  the  vessel  was  employed,  would 
have  exercised. 

"  Now,  the  directors  of  a  corporation  are  its  manag- 
ing officers.  Their  authority  and  powers  in  the  aggre- 
gate are  co-extensive  with  the  corporation  itself.  In 
this  respect  they  are  not  only  the  agent,  as  I  have  said, 
but  practically  the  corporation  itself,  and  their  duties 
&n$  liabilities  are.  the  same  as  thos*  of  natural  persons, 


STEAMBOAT  DIRECTORS  ARRESTED.  319 

"If,  in  tlie  couduct  of  the  company's  business,  an 
officer  or  director  participates  in  an  act  or  omission  which 
constitutes  a  violation  of  law  he  is  criminally  liable 
therefor  in  the  same  way  and  to  the  same  extent  as  if  he 
had  participated  in  such  act  or  omission  while  acting  as 
the  agent  of  an  individual. 

"Nor  is  it  of  the  slightest  importance  on  the  ques- 
tion of  the  criminal  liability  of  the  Knickerbocker 
Steamboat  Company's  officers  and  directors  whether  or 
not  the  Government  Inspectors  performed  or  violated 
their  duty.  The  duty  of  the  corporation's  representa- 
tives was  not  affected  at  all  by  what  the  inspectors  did 
or  did  not  do. 

FIXING  THE  BLAME. 

"  You  will  also  determine  in  your  verdict  and  de- 
clare whether  or  not  the  inspectors,  and  which  of  the 
inspectors,  if  any,  were  negligent  in  the  performance  of 
their  duties  or  wilfully  made  a  false  certificate  in  regard 
to  the  vessel's  life-saving  equipment." 

The  following  is  the  full  text  of  the  verdict  of  the 
Coroner's  jury  : 

"  The  said  deceased,  Henry  Warnhose,  and  upward 
of  900  other  persons  came  to  their  death  by  criminal 
means  and  in  the  following  manner : 

"  1.  That  the  deceased,  together  with  excursionists 
to  the  number  of  1,500  and  upward,  a  majority  of  whom 
were  women  and  young  children,  were,  on  the  fifteenth 
day  of  June,  1904,  passengers  on  board  the  steamboat 
called  the  '  General  Slocum,'  owned  by  the  Knicker- 
bocker Steamboat  Company,  of  which  Frank  A.  Barnaby 
was  and  is  the  president,  and  James  K.  Atkinson  was 
and  is  the  secretary  and   general   passenger  and  traffic 


320  STEAMBOAT  DIRECTORS  ARRESTED. 

manager ;  the  said  Barnaby  and  Atkinson  being  also  the 
managing  directors  of  the  company  and  in  full  charge 
and  control  of  its  business  and  affairs,  and  that  the  said 
steamboat  was  in  command  of  William  H.  Van  Schaick, 
its  captain,  and  was  being  used  in  carrying  the  said  ex- 
cursionists from  the  pier  at  the  foot  of  East  Third  street 
to  a  certain  landing  on  Long  Island  Sound,  called  Locust 
Grove,  and  back  again  to  said  dock. 

INEFFICIENT  EQUIPMENT. 

"  2.  That  although  it  was  the  duty  of  the  said  Barn- 
aby, Atkinson,  Van  Schaick  and  also  Captain  John  A. 
Pease,  acknowledged  commodore  of  the  fleet,  to  have  seen 
that  the  said  steamer  was  provided  with,  before  its  depart- 
ure, a  proper  and  suitable  fire  equipment  and  an  efficient 
and  well-drilled  complement  of  disciplined  men  to  operate 
the  same  in  case  of  emergency,  and  also  to  have  provided 
the  said  steamboat  with  such  number  and  character  of 
good,  efficient  and  available  life  preservers  and  with  other 
life-saving  appliances  as  would  best  secure  the  safety  of 
all  persons  on  board  the  same  in  case  of  fire  or  other  dis- 
aster, they  and  each  of  them  did  not  only  wholly  neglect 
to  do  so,  but  on  the  contrary  furnished  and  supplied,  and 
had  in  and  on  board  of  the  said  steamboat,  on  the  said  fif- 
teenth day  of  June,  1904,  a  wholly  improper  and  unsuit- 
able fire  extinguishing  equipment  and  a  wholly  inefficient 
'  and  undrilled  complement  of  men,  all  of  whom  were  un- 
disciplined, to  operate  the  same,  as  well  as  an  insufficient 
number  of  good  and  available  life  preservers  and  other 
life-saving  appliances  to  properly  secure  the  safety  of  the 
persons  on  board  the  said  vessel  in  case  of  disaster. 

"  3.  That  this  same  condition  of  affairs  existed  when, 
on  the  fifth  day  of  May,  1904,  Assistant  Steamboat  In- 


STEAMBOAT  DIRECTORS  ARRESTED.  321 

spector  of  Hulls  Henry  Lundberg,  of  the  United  States 
Steamboat  Inspection  Service,  inspected  the  vessel  and 
approved  of  its  fire-extinguishing  and  life-saving  equip- 
ment and  appliances. 

"  4.  And  while  the  said  steamboat  was  still  in  the 
waters  of  the  East  River,  within  the  county  of  New  York, 
and  not  having  yet  reached  Long  Island  Sound,  a  fire  oc- 
curred in  the  hold,  which,  had  there  been  a  proper  fire- 
extinguishment  equipment  and  suitable  appliances  and 
an  efficient  and  well-drilled  complement  of  men  to  oper- 
ate the  same,  might  readily  have  been  extinguished. 

DRIVEN   OVERBOARD   BY   FLAMES. 

11  5.  That  in  consequence  of  the  neglect  and  failure 
of  the  said  Barnaby,  Atkinson,  Van  Schaick,  Pease  and 
the  other  directors  of  the  company  named  below  to  pro- 
vide such  equipment,  appliances  and  men,  and  the  ineffi- 
ciency and  the  incompetency  of  the  latter,  and  also  be- 
cause of  the  absence  of  a  licensed  and  trained  mate  to 
command  the  latter,  and  direct  them,  the  said  fire  was 
not  extinguished,  and  spread  to  such  an  extent  that  the 
deceased  were  forced  to  leave  the  said  vessel  in  order  to 
escape  the  flames. 

"  6.  That  because  of  the  insufficient  number  of  good 
and  available  life  preservers  and  other  life  saving  appa- 
ratus on  board  of  the  said  vessel,  many  of  the  deceased 
were  forced  to  jump  therefrom  into  the  water  without  any 
means  of  self-preservation,  and  were  drowned. 

"  7.  That  the  lives  of  the  deceased  were  destroyed 
by  and  through  the  before-mentioned  misconduct  of  the 
said  Barnaby,  Atkinson,  Van  Schaick,  Pease  and  the 
other  directors. 

u8.  That  acts    constituting    such    misconduct    and 

N.Y.  21 


322  STEAMBOAT  DIRECTORS  ARRESTED. 

neglect  were  in  flagrant  violation  of  the  provisions  of  the 
Federal  laws  to  which  the  vessel  was  subject.' ' 

After  careful  consideration,  the  jury  comes  to  the 
following  conclusions  and  makes  the  following  recom- 
mendations : 

"  I.  That  the  president,  Frank  A.  Barnaby,  the 
secretary,  James  K.  Atkinson,  and  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors of  the  Knickerbocker  Steamboat  Company,  namely: 
Frank  A.  Barnaby,  Charles  E.  Hill,  James  K.  Atkinson, 
C.  Delacy  Evans,  Robert  K.  Story,  Floyd  S.  Corbin  and 
Frank  G.  Dexter,  were  guilty  of  criminal  negligence  in 
the  failure  to  see  to  the  proper  equipment  of  the  '  Gen- 
eral Slocuin '  in  the  matter  of  the  fire-fighting  and  life 
saving  appliances  on  board  said  boat. 

CAPTAIN    RESPONSIBLE, 

"  2.  That  the  captain,  William  H.  Van  Schaick, 
should  be  held  criminally  responsible  for  the  accident. 

u  3.  That  Captain  John  A.  Pease,  the  acknowledged 
commodore  of  the  fleet,  be  held  criminally  responsible 
for  his  failure  to  properly  equip  the  i  General  Slocum  ' 
with  the  fire  fighting  and  life  saving  appliances. 

"  4.  That  Edward  Flanagan,  the  mate,  acted  in  a 
cowardly  manner,  and  we  recommend  that  he  be  held 
criminally  responsible  for  failure  to  perform  his  duty  on 
board  the  '  General  Slocuin  '  on   the   day  of  the  disaster. 

"  5.  That  in  the  opinion  of  this  jury  the  misconduct 
of  Henry  Lundberg,  Government  Inspector,  in  failing  to 
report  to  his  superiors  the  true  facts  concerning  the  ves- 
sel's fire  extinguishing  and  life  saving  equipment  should 
be  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  United  States  prosecuting 
officials,  and  we  further  hold  that  said  Henry  Lundberg 
be  held  for  criminal   negligence  by  reason  of  his  incom- 


STEAMBOAT  DIRECTORS  ARRESTED.  323 

petent,  careless  and  indifferent   inspection  of  the  'Gen- 
eral  Slocum's'  hull   on  the  5th  day  of  May,  1904, 

uThe  jury  are  also  of  the  opinion  that  the  system 
of  inspection  which  prevails  in  the  harbor  of  New  York 
is  very  inefficient,  and  does  not  properly  examine  whether 
the  life  preserving  apparatus  and  fire  appliances  on  the 
vessels  of  this  harbor  are  in  proper  and  suitable  condi- 
tion to  prevent  loss  of  life,  and  we  recommend  to  the 
Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Labor  that  he  issue  such 
instructions  for  the  supervising  and  local  boards  of  in- 
spectors as  will  cause  them  to  efficiently  and  honestly 
examine  the  steamboats  plying  in  and  about  this  harbor." 

The  Aldermen  authorized  the  issue  of  special  reve- 
nue bonds  to  the  amount  of  $50,000  to  pay  for  the  burial 
of  the  unidentified  victims  of  the  "  General  Slocum  M  dis- 
aster and  to  meet  the  expenses  incurred  by  the  Police 
and  Health  departments  in  the  work  of  recovering  bodies 
and  caring  for  the  injured. 

A  resolution  urging  the  Fire  Department  to  assign 
at  least  two  firemen  to  every  excursion  steamer  of  the 
harbor  was  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Laws  and  Leg- 
islation. The  committee  was  directed  to  confer  with  the 
Mayor  and  Fire  Commissioner  for  the  purpose  of  carry- 
ing the  plan  into  effect  if  it  should  be  found  that  the 
sanction  of  the  Federal  authorities  is  needed. 

Subscriptions  acknowledged  raised  the  total  of  the 
relief  fund  to  $109,801.09,  Four  little  children  of  Public 
School  116,  accompanied  by  two  of  their  teachers,  called 
on  the  Mayor  and  presented  to  him  a  purse  containing 
$50  for  the  relief  fund.  The  money  was  contributed  by 
the  children  of  the  school.  The  Mayor  thanked  the 
children  and  praised  the  self-denial  they  had  practised  to 
raise  so  large  an  amount  a>  they  did  in  their  school. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

DIRGES  FOR  THE  DEAD* 

IMPRESSIVE  ceremonies  that  were  in  the  nature  of 
*  public  obsequies  over  the  "  Slocum's  "  dead  were 
witnessed  by  an  audience  that  filled  the  great  assembly 
room  of  Cooper  Union  to  the  utmost  limit  of  its  seating 
capacity.  It  was  the  memorial  service  organized  by  the 
Mayor's  Relief  Committee  to  give  final  and  formal 
expression  to  the  sympathy  of  the  people  of  New  York 
in  the  terrible  sorrow  which  fell  at  one  blow  upon  so  large 
a  number  of  their  fellow-citizens. 

Mayor  McClellan  presided,  being  introduced  by  Mr. 
Julius  Harburger,  who  acted  as  temporary  chairman.  A 
vast  majority  of  the  audience,  as  well  as  of  those  who 
occupied  seats  on  the  platform,  were  of  German  lineage, 
and  quite  half  of  the  audience  proper  was  made  up  of 
women.  Here  and  there  were  persons  in  mourning,  and 
at  times  during  the  evening  a  number  of  the  women  were 
in  tears.  But  it  was  evident  that  comparatively  few  of 
those  present  were  from  the  intimately  afflicted  families. 

At  the  right  of  the  stage  and  extending  in  a  com- 
pact, wedge-shaped  body  were  400  representatives  of  the 
United  German  Singing  Societies.  They  were  under  the 
leadership  of  Carl  Hein,  and  at  intervals  they  chanted 
two  choruses,  Silcher's  "  Schottischer  Bardenchor"  and 
Pfael's  "  Grabgesang."  The  Metropolitan  Opera  House 
orchestra,  under  the  leadership  of  Nahan  Franko,  occu- 
pied all  of  the  right-hand  side  of  the  stage. 

The  ceremonies  opened  with  the  orchestra  playing 

324 


DIRGES  FOR  THE  DEAD.  325 

Beethoven's  funeral  march,  after  which  Mr.  Harburger 
made  a  few  remarks  defining  the  object  of  the  meeting 
and  called  upon  the  Rev.  John  J.  Heismann  to  make  the 
opening  prayer.  At  its  conclusion  Mr.  Harburger  intro- 
duced Mayor  McClellan,  who  said  : 

"  Nothing  that  I  can  say  or  that  you  can  say,  noth- 
ing that  any  of  us  can  do,  can  mitigate  the  sorrow  of 
those  whose  loved  ones  have  gone  before. 

"The  victims  of  the  'Slocum'  were  almost  all  women 
and  children.  They  came  from  the  sturdy  German  race, 
industrious,  self-respecting  and  frugal,  among  the  best 
citizens  we  have,  whom  we  can  ill  afford  to  spare.  For 
them  home  is  all  in  all.  Their  men  work  for  the  love  of 
home  and  for  the  wife  and  children  it  represents.  In  a 
few  appalling  minutes  nearly  a  thousand  families  were 
broken  up,  nearly  a  thousand  homes  destroyed. 

UNIVERSAL  SYMPATHY. 

"The  breadwinners,  whose  chief  incentive  in  life 
has  been  blotted  out,  whose  wives  and  children  are  no 
more,  must  work  on  unaided,  uncheered  and  alone,  for 
we  cannot  help  them.  But  in  their  hour  of  trial  we  can 
at  least  show  them  that  we  share  their  sorrow,  and  assure 
them  that  it  is  the  common  property  of  the  entire  people. 

"  To  me  the  chief  pathos  of  week  before  last  was  our 
utter  helplessness  in  the  face  of  a  calamity.  The  work 
of  destruction  was  so  complete  that  there  was  pitifully 
little  that  could  be  done.  And  yet  that  little  was  done 
so  well,  and  so  generously,  and  so  modestly  withal,  that 
it  makes  one  proud  of  American  manhood  and  woman- 
hood as  well  that  always  rise  to  the  occasion  and  never 
fail  to  do  their  duty. 

"It  would  be  invidious  to  single  out  any  one  single 


826  DIRGES  FOR  THE  DEAD. 

city  department  for  praise  when  all,  from  highest  to 
lowest,  from  Commissioners  down,  did  their  best.  The 
fortitude,  the  gentleness  and  the  consideration  that  was 
shown  at  North  Brother  Island  and  on  the  Twenty-sixth 
street  pier  by  city  employees  and  citizens  alike  was  of 
the  kind  that  asks  neither  reward  nor  recognition,  for  it 
came  spontaneously  from  the  hearts  of  true  men  and  true 
women.  The  dead  have  been  buried  and  the  survivors 
cared  for,  and  those  who  were  in  want  have  been  relieved 
by  the  public  spirited  generosity  of  our  people. 

PUBLIC  EXPRESSION  OF  GRIEF. 

"  Before  the  wreck  of  the  *  Slocum  '  passes  into  his- 
tory we  have  met  here  this  evening  to  give  public  ex- 
pression to  the  grief  of  the  people  of  New  York  over  the 
greatest  disaster  in  her  annals,  to  mourn  for  those  who 
in  God's  good  time  and  in  God's  own  way  have  been 
called  to  Him,  to  join  together,  regardless  of  race,  sect 
or  creed,  in  the  words  of  resignation  that  God  in  His 
infinite  mercy  has  taught  mankind  to  say  and  to  mean  : 
Thy  will  be  done." 

Following  the  Mayor's  address  the  orchestra  played 
Schumann's  u  Traeumerei,"  and  then  Mayor  McClellan 
introduced  George  V.  von  Skal  of  the  editorial  staff  of 
the  Staats-Zeitung,  who  made  a  short  address  in  German, 
which  was  followed  by  a  chorus  from  the  singing  societies. 
Mayor  McClellan  then  introduced  Judge  Morgan  J. 
O'Brien,  who,  among  other  things,  said  : 

"  No  philosophy,  not  even  the  consolations  of  re- 
ligion, can  obliterate  such  grief  as  that  which  has  come 
to  so  many  of  our  fellow  citizens.  The  disaster  was  the 
most  terrible  in  the  annals  of  our  city,  and  I  feel  that 
it  is  not  wholly  inappropriate  that  I  should  be  called 


DIRGES  FOR  THE  DEAD.  827 

upon  to  say  something  on  this  occasion,  for  I  was  born 
within  a  few  hundred  feet  of  the  modest  little  church  to 
which  these  good  people  who  are  now  so  sorely  stricken 
belong, 

"  I  then  came  to  know  the  character  of  the  people 
of  that  neighborhood  and  to  appreciate  the  industry  and 
thrift  and  courage  which  they  put  into  their  life  work. 
Science  tells  us,  those  learned  in  astronomy  tell  us,  that 
not  a  star  in  the  heavens,  however  small  it  be,  could  be 
removed  without  impairing  the  equilibrium  of  the  uni- 
verse. And  so  I  fully  believe  it  is  with  our  social 
organization,  that  not  a  life  can  be  removed  from  it  with- 
out a  tendency  to  impair  the  moral  equilibrium. 

SENTIMENTS   COMMON   TO  ALL. 

"  Thank  God,  the  day  has  passed  when  differences 
of  race  and  religion  separate  people,  and  that  now  we 
begin  to  understand  the  rights  and  the  sentiments  of 
others  as  we  do  our  own.  Let  a  great  wrong  be  done  to 
any  body  of  people,  no  matter  of  what  race  or  creed,  or 
how  far  remote,  or  let  a  great  sorrow  befall,  such  as  has 
befallen  here  in  New  York,  and  instantly  there  pulsates 
throughout  all  Christendom  a  sentiment  of  indignation 
or  pitying  sorrow. 

"  So,  as  we  are  thus  assembled  here  to-night  we  are 
assembled  to  manifest  not  only  the  sympathy  of  the 
city  of  New  York  with  those  who  are  under  this  afflic- 
tion, but  the  sympathy  of  all  the  world." 

The  ceremonies  closed  with  a  selection  by  the 
orchestra  at  the  close  of  which  the  audience  remained 
for  a  space  of  several  minutes  sitting  with  bowed  heads 
and  in  silence  broken  here  and  there  by  a  suppressed 
sob. 


328  DIRGES  FOR  THE  DEAD. 

During  the  day  a  committee  representing  the  French 
societies  of  New  York  City  presented  to  Mayor  Mc- 
Clellan  a  bronze  memorial  subscribed  for  by  citizens  of 
French  extraction  who  sympathize  with  the  "  Slocum  " 
sufferers.  The  memorial  was  in  the  form  of  a  bronze 
mural  cluster  about  two  feet  long  and  about  eighteen 
inches  broad.  A  transverse  piece  represents  a  plank  of 
a  wrecked  ship  and  on  this  is  the  name  of  the  burned 
steamer  in  large  capitals.  Waves  are  seen  to  be  wash- 
ing over  the  bit  of  wreckage,  while  beneath  this  emblem 
is  the  figure  of  a  salamander,  typifying  fire.  Inscribed 
on  the  memorial  are  the  words  : 

"  '  General  Slocum,'  Regrets  des  Francais  de  New 
York,  Juin,  1^04." 

MEMORIAL  GRATEFULLY  ACCEPTED. 

The  memorial  was  taken  to  the  City  Hall  by  a  com- 
mittee consisting  of  Louis  A.  Risse,  chairman  ;  J.  B. 
Martin,  vice-chairman  ;  Antoine  La  Blanche,  A.  Siltz 
and  Pierre  Feitu.  The  presentation  speech  was  made 
by  Mr.  Risse.  He  spoke  of  the  sorrow  felt  by  the  French- 
American  citizens  and  told  the  Mayor  that  it  was  their 
desire  that  the  memorial  should  be  either  placed  on  the 
proposed  monument  to  the  dead  or  upon  the  walls  of  St. 
Mark's  Lutheran  Church. 

In  thanking  the  committee  on  behalf  of  the  city, 
the  Mayor  said  before  deciding  upon  the  disposition  of 
the  bronze  he  would  communicate  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Haas. 

Four  Chinamen  walked  into  the  outer  office  of  the 
Mayor's  suite  shortly  afternoon,  and  laying  down  before 
Sergt,  Kennel  a  large  package  the  spokesman  of  the  four 
said  :  "  Please  give  this  to  the  Mayor.  It  is  from  the 
Chinamen  who  want  to  help  the  Mayor's  fund." 


DIRGES  FOR  THE  DEAD. 

Sergeant  Kennel  opened  the  package  and  found 
that  it  contained  money.  He  counted  $657,  the  greater 
part  in  one  dollar  bills.  The  four  also  handed  him  a 
big  book  in  which  was  written  in  Chinese  characters  the 
names  of  the  subscribers.  The  book  showed  in  separate 
columns  how  much  had  been  given  by  Pell  street,  how 
much  by  Mott  street  and  how  much  by  other  streets  com- 
prising the  Chinese  district. 

The  bearers  of  the  money  were  told  that  the  Mayor 
was  not  in,  but  if  they  were  disappointed,  they  were  too 
polite  to  givf  any  sign  of  it.  They  merely  asked 
for  a  receirc  for  the  money,  and  when  they  got  it 
they  bowed  respectfully  and  started  back  to  Chinatown. 

The  Mayor  said  afterward  that  he  vas  sorry  he  was 
not  in  the  hall  when  the  Chinamen  came.  "  I  would  have 
liked  very  much  to  meet  them,"  he  added. 

MEDAL  FOR  A  HEROINE. 

Mary  McCann,  the  most  modestly  unconscious  hero- 
ine who  ever  risked  her  life  to  save  others,  is  to  have  a 
reminder  of  her  splendid  work  in  the  "  Slocum"  disaster, 
which  will  include  both  practical  significance  and  signal 
honor. 

In  the  midst  of  its  harrowing  work  of  sifting  the 
facts  and  fixing  the  blame  the  Coroner's  jury  found  one 
congenial  task  which  it  designed  to  keep  a  profound 
secret  till  its  accomplishment.  This  is  the  presentation 
of  a  gold  medal  to  Miss  McCann,  along  with  a  generous 
purse.  A  special  design  has  been  agreed  upon,  which 
shall  commemorate  the  terrible  occasion,  and  an  inscrip- 
tion that  shall  convey  the  thanks  of  a  city  to  one  of  the 
most  recent  of  her  citizens. 

Mary  McCann  is  an  Irish  girl  who  only  reached  this 


330  DIRGES  FOR  THE  DEAD. 

country  on  May  n,  and  the  attack  of  scarlet  fever  which 
followed  soon  after  her  landing  was  the  chance  that  sent 
her  to  North  Brother  Island,  In  the  absence  of  her  rel- 
atives the  city  assumed  care  of  her,  She  was  a  convales- 
cent patient  on  the  day  of  the  "Slocum"  fire.  Again 
and  again  she  dashed  into  the  water,  dragging  out  no 
less  than  six  children,  and  stopped  only  when  the  doc- 
tors, seeing  her  exhausted  condition,  forcibly  detained 
her. 

Tall  and  finely  built,  with  her  strength  scarcely  im- 
pared  by  her  ilness,  she  gave  her  efforts  to  rescue  the 
perishing  without  a  moment's  hesitation.  And  when  the 
jury  visited  the  island  the  brown-haired  blue-eyed  girl, 
who  is  hardly  more  than  seventeen,  was  so  naively  un^ 
conscious  of  what  she  had  done  that  there  and  then  it 
was  resolved  to  offer  her  some  acknowledgement. 

HONOR  FOR  LIFE  SAVERS. 

Coroner  Berry  said  that  the  plan  was  the  unanimous 
decision  of  the  jury  and  had  his  warmest  indorsement. 
He  added  that  they  had  hoped  to  keep  it  from  the  public 
that  they  might  have  the  added  pleasure  of  surprising 
Mary  McCann. 

Matron  White,  the  Superintendent  at  the  North 
Brother  Island  Hospital,  reported  Mary  progressing  rap- 
idly toward  recovery.  When  told  of  her  good  fortune 
she  said  heartily : 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it,  for  she  fully  deserves  it. 
North  Brother  Island  turned  out  some  wonderful  hero- 
ines on  that  awful  day." 

Another  was  Pauline  Foote,  the  waitress,  who  is  an 
expert  swimmer  and  the  possessor  of  more  than  one 
medal  for  life  saving. 


DIRGES  FOR  THE  DEAD.  881 

Secretary  Cortelyou  of  the  Department  of  Commerce 
and  Labor  sent  the  following  telegram  from  Washington 
to  George  Uhler,  Supervising  Inspector-General  of  the 
steamboat  inspection  service  at  New  York  : 

44  You  are  hereby  directed  to  begin  at  once  the  rein- 
spection  that  has  been  ordered  of  the  passenger-carrying 
steamboats  in  New  York  harbor.  Detail  the  best  men 
in  your  service  for  this  work,  and  order  that  those  who 
made  the  inspection  of  any  particular  boat  earlier  in  the 
season  shall  not  make  the  reinspection  now. 

ORDERS   FOR  INVESTIGATION. 

"Telegraph  the  several  supervising  inspectors  in 
the  service,  except  Captain  Birmingham,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, who  is  too  far  away,  and  ask  if  they  can  spare 
without  detriment  to  the  interests  committed  to  their 
charge  some  of  their  best  men  to  assist  in  this  work. 
Final  judgment  upon  the  character  of  the  inspections 
heretofore  made  must  properly  await  the  report  of  the 
Federal  investigation  now  in  progress,  but  I  believe  this 
reinspection  should  be  made. 

44  In  making  the  reinspection  the  regulations  and 
the  various  circulars  that  have  been  issued  by  the  de- 
partment from  time  to  time  for  your  service  affords  its 
officials  definite  instructions  under  existing  law. 

44  Report  at  once  by  telegraph  the  receipt  of  these 
instructions." 

The  following  is  taken  from  the  columns  of  a  leading 
journal. 

14  The  promise  of  rigid  investigation  and  relentless 
action  in  the  matter  of  the  4  Slocum  '  disaster  is  being 
realized.  As  the  result  of  the  action  of  the  Coroner's 
jury,  which  has  been  searching  for  the  causes  back  of 


332  DIRGES  FOR  THE  DEAD. 

the  loss  of  more  than  one  thousand  hninan  lives,  the 
president  and  directors  of  the  Knickerbocker  Steamboat 
Company,  owner  of  the  bnrned  excursion  boat ;  the 
captain  and  mate  of  the  vessel,  the  commodore  of  the 
Knickerbocker  fleet,  and  the  United  States  inspector 
concerned,  must  face  charges  of  manslaughter  in  the 
second  degree.  The  extreme  penalty  of  the  crime  in 
New  York  is  ten  years  imprisonment. 

"The  jury  found,  after  painstaking  inquiry, that  the 
'Slocum'was  not  equipped  with  proper  life-saving  or 
fire-fighting  appliances,  and  that  the  crew  was  neither 
efficient  nor  well-drilled.  In  the  face  of  this  there  was 
no  alternative  to  charging  criminal  negligence  against 
every  man  in  any  way  responsible  for  the  conditions. 
While  it  is  manifestly  improper  to  prejudge  any  individ- 
ual case,  it  is  clear  that  a  state  of  affairs  has  been  shown 
in  which  individual  responsibility  exists,  and  to  bring  it 
home  is  a  debt  owing  to  both  past  and  future. 

ACCUSED  OF  SLAUGHTER. 

14  Many  persons  shrink  from  following  this  idea  to 
its  logical  conclusion.  While  willing  to  admit  the  possi- 
ble criminality  of  those  whose  official  positions  bring 
them  into  active  connection  with  a  disaster,  there  is  re- 
pugnance to  charging  the  death  of  human  beings  to  men 
whose  complicity  in  the  matter  is  generally  considered 
negative. 

44  In  that  very  repugnance,  which  is  made  apparent 
at  every  turn,  lies  the  real  difficulty  of  preventing  such 
occurrences  as  this  4  Slocum  '  calamity.  Until  the  people 
at  large  realize  the  truth  that  a  man  who,  whether  from 
sheer  thoughtlessness  or  desire  for  gain,  permits  the  use 
of  death-breeding  agencies  in  his  business  is  as  deserving 


DIRGES  FOR  THE  DEAD.  333 

of  punishment  as  the  man  who  kills  his  neighbor  with  a 
pistol  or  poison,  that  difficulty  must  remain. 

"  There  is  too  much  tendency  nowadays  to  acquiesce 
in  the  devil-take-the-hindniost  doctrine  ;  too  much  will- 
ingness to  regard  the  old  question,  in  all  its  varying 
inflections,  'Am  I  my  brother's  keeper?'  as  a  justifiable 
defence  of  murderous  carelessness.  The  vital  sense  of 
personal  responsibility  is  lacking,  often  criminally  lack- 
ing, in  the  walks  of  everyday  life.  Yet  until  that  sense  of 
responsibility  is  restored  and  made  keen  we  must  stand 
ready  to  be  shocked  by  horrible  'accidents'  again  and 
again. 

"  The  verdict  of  the  'Slocum'  jury  opens  the  way 
to  an  object  lesson  of  large  preventive  effect.  It  should 
be  followed  up  swiftly  and  without  hesitancy." 

NEWSPAPER  PHILOSOPHY. 

Another  journal  gave  expression  to  the  public  feel- 
ing in  the  following  terms  : 

"The  men  who  have  been  pilloried  by  the  Coroner's 
jury  as  responsible  for  the  murder  of  a  thousand  people 
on  the  '  General  Slocum  '  will  protest  that  it  is  unfair 
to  single  them  out  from  the  mass  of  excursion-boat 
owners  and  managers  who  have  been  doing  the  same 
things  that  they  have  done  without  having  the  bad  luck 
to  be  caught.  They  say  that  they  are  no  worse  than 
the  rest. 

"  Very  likely  this  is  true,  and  that  is  the  very  reason 
why  these  prosecutions  should  be  relentlessly  pushea. 
We  need  some  examples  (to  encourage  the  others.'  It 
the  mercenary  wretches  who  equipped  the  '  Slocum  * 
with  rotten  life-preservers  and  worthless  fire-hose  to  save 
money,  the  criminally  negligent  inspectors  who  passed 


334  DIRGES  FOR  THE  DEAD. 

her  outfit  and  the  cowards  who  manned  her  were  the  only 
specimens  of  their  kind,  they  might  be  left  to  the  lash 
of  their  own  consciences,  if  they  have  any. 

"  But  precisely  because  there  are  so  many  others  of 
the  same  sort  it  is  necessary  to  visit  the  utmost  rigors  of 
the  law  upon  those  we  have  been  able  to  catch.  It  has  cost 
a  thousand  lives  to  enable  us  to  lay  our  hands  on  these  ; 
let  us  see  that  the  sacrifice  shall  not  have  been  in  vain. 

"It  is  often  said  that  passengers  by  rail  would  be 
safer  if  every  locomotive  carried  a  director  tied  on  the 
pilot.  There  will  be  more  security  on  excursion  boats  if 
the  owners,  the  managers  and  the  inspectors  of  the 
(  Slocum  '  are  tried,  and  not  only  convicted,  but  physic- 
ally lodged  in  the  penitentiary. 

"  Such  an  outcome  will  be  especially  gratifying  be- 
cause the  men  responsible  for  this  disaster  seem  to  have 
been  the  only  persons  unaffected  by  the  horror  of  it.  Sc 
far  as  we  have  observed,  no  director  or  official  of  the 
Knickerbocker  Company  has  ever  been  credited  with  one 
spontaneous  self-forgetful  display  of  human  feeling  in 
connection  with  this  calamity,  which  might  have  been 
expected  to  crush  them  all  with  shame,  remorse  and 
agonized  sympathy . 

"The  company  from  the  first  has  defiantly  taken  a 
'What  are  you  going  to  do  about  it  ?  '  attitude  ;  it  refused 
to  spend  money  to  raise  the  hull  of  the  '  Slocum '  and 
search  for  the  bodies  of  the  people  it  had  murdered ;  it 
has  done  nothing  for  the  survivors  ;  it  has  expressed  no 
regret  for  its  past  shortcomings  and  made  no  promises  of 
amendment.  No  expense  would  ever  be  borne  by  this 
community  with  more  hearty  good-will  than  in  giving 
these  men  a  long  season  of  free  board  up  the  Hudson." 


DIRGES  FOR  THE  DEAD.  835 

Investigation  of  the  disaster  was  begun  by  the 
Federal  Grand  Jury,  with  David  D.  Wylie  as  foreman. 
Assistant  United  States  District  Attorney  Henry  A. 
Wise,  who  was  present  throughout  the  inquest,  examined 
several  witnesses  who  had  appeared  in  the  former  proceed- 
ing, including  Benjamin  F.  Conklin,  chief  engineer  of 
the  "  Slocum  ; "  Everett  Bran  do  w,  second  engineer  ;  Cap- 
tain Edward  Van  Woert,  first  pilot ;  Edward  Flanagan, 
mate  ;  William  W.  Trembley  and  T.  Collins,  deck  hands; 
General  T.  H.  Barrett,  United  States  Inspector  of  Boil- 
ers, and  J.  H.  Fleming,  an  Assistant  Inspector. 

James  K.  Atkinson,  secretary  of  the  Knickerbocker 
Company,  had  been  subpoenaed  as  a  witness.  He  went 
to  the  Post  Office  Building,  accompanied  by  his  counsel, 
Terence  J,  McManus,  who  had  advised  him  to  decline  to 
answer  questions,  as  he  was  already  a  defendant.  Mr. 
Wise  told  Mr.  Atkinson  that  he  would  not  need  him. 
Mr.  Atkinson  had  been  directed  by  a  writ  of  duces  tecum 
to  produce  some  of  the  company's  books.  He  explained 
to  Mr.  Wise  that  he  could  not  obey  the  writ,  as  he  had 
turned  over  the  books  to  Coroner  Joseph  I.  Berry,  in  the 
Bronx. 

Another  session  of  the  Grand  Jury  was  appointed. 
The  witnesses  subpoenaed  included  George  Owen,  Daniel 
O'Neill,  Thomas  Lyon  and  Walter  Payne,  who  worked 
on  the  "Slocum;"  the  Rev.  Julius  A.  Schultz  and 
Charles  A.  Lang,  who  were  passengers  on  the  steamer ; 
Herman  Burger,  engineer  in  the  gas  works  at  the  foot  of 
East  139th  street,  and  John  A.  Woodman,  James  Gaffney 
and  Miss  Lillie  McGibbou,  who  were  on  North  Brother 
Island  at  the  time  of  the  beaching  there. 

Captain  Van  Schaick  was  not  to  be  called  as  a  wit- 
ness.    It  was  deemed  likely  in  the  Post  Office  Building 


336  DIRGES  FOR   fhx.  DEAD. 

that  in  addition  to  finding  several  indictments  the  Grand 
Jury  would  hand  in  a  presentment  condemning  the  lax 
method  of  steamboat  inspection. 

Herbert  K.  Smith,  one  of  the  commission  appointed 
by  Secretary  Cortelyou  to  inquire  into  the  conditions 
prevailing  in  this  harbor,  called  on  United  States  District 
Attorney  Burnett,  who  assigned  his  assistant,  C.  S. 
Houghton,  to  attend  the  hearings,  which  were  to  be  held 
behind  closed  doors.  It  was  said  Commander  C.  McR. 
Winslow,  who  is  on  the  commission,  would  make  an 
independent  report  to  the  Navy  Department,  to  which,  it 
has  frequently  been  urged,  the  Bureau  of  Steamboat 
Inspection  should  be  transferred. 

Two  of  those  found  responsible  for  the  loss  of  life 
on  the  "Slocuni"  surrendered  to  Coroner  Berry.  They 
were  Captain  John  A.  Pease,  of  the  "  Grand  Republic," 
who  is  recognized  as  commodore  of  the  Knickerbocker 
fleet,  and  Frank  G.  Dexter,  a  director  in  the  company. 
Captain  Pease  went  to  the  Coroner's  office  with  his 
sister,  Mrs.  Caroline  A.  Armstrong,  of  Brooklyn,  who 
signed  his  bail  bond  for  $5,000.  Mr.  Dexter  gave  his 
address  as  the  Astor  House  and  said  he  was  a  jeweller. 
He  produced  a  receipt  showing  a  deposit  of  $5,000  cash 
bail  with  the  City  Chamberlain.  C.  De  Lacy  Evans, 
another  director,  telegraphed  from  Rye  Beach,  N.  H., 
that  he  would  appear  and  furnish  bail  whenever  he  was 
wanted.  Coroner  Berry  replied  to  appear  forthwith. 
Frank  A.  Barnaby,  president  of  the  Knickerbocker  Com- 
pany, telephoned  to  Coroner  Berry  that  he  understood 
Robert  K.  Story  was  in  the  North  Woods  and  expected 
to  get  in  communication  with  him  within  a  few  days. 


OFFICIAL  LIST 

OF   THE 

NAMES,  AGES  AND  RESIDENCES 

OF 

Victims  of  the  Steamboat  Horror 

CAUSED   BY   THE 

BURNING  OF  THE  GENERAL  SLOCUM. 


We  are  able  to  present  the  report  of  Max  F.  Schmitt- 
berger,  Inspector  of  the  First  District  of  New  York.  It 
contains  a  very  careful  compilation  of  the  names  of 
the  dead  and  injured  by  the  dreadful  calamity.  The 
report  is  as  follows  : 

In   compliance   with  orders    to  make  a  careful  and 

thorough  investigation,  and  to  ascertain  the  number  of 

persons  "  dead,"   "missing,"   "injured,"  or  "uninjured," 

who  were  in  the  General  Slocum  disaster,  on  June  15th, 

1904,  I   respectfully  report  that  a   careful   and  thorough 

investigation  has  been  made,   and  the  results  obtained, 

carefully  collated  and  revised,  and  the  accompanying  lists 

of  persons,   classified  as  "dead,"  "missing,"  "injured," 

or  "  uninjured,"  may  be  considered  as   absolutely  correct 

and  reliable,  so  far  as  the  information   contained  therein 

could  be  obtained  and  verified  up  to  this  date. 

N.Y.22  337 


338  LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE  GENERAL  SLOCUM. 

For  the  purpose  of  this  inquiry  a  force  of  ten 
clerical  men  reported  to  me  at  10  A.  m.,  June  22d,  1904, 
and  at  8  A.  M.,  June  23d,  1904,  one  hundred  patrolmen 
who  were  able  to  speak  the  German  language  also  re- 
ported to  me  at  the  Fifteenth  Precinct  Station  House  for 
that  duty,  and  where  the  work  has  been  conducted  with- 
out intermission,  and  with  the  least  possible  delay,  under 
my  personal  supervision.  After  recording  every  name 
which  appeared  in  the  public  press  and  in  the  published 
list  of  "dead,"  "missing,"  "injured,"  or  "uninjured," 
or  in  the  news  columns,  or  obituary  notices,  in  any 
newspapers  published  in  the  city  of  New  York,  or  re- 
ported by  the  friends  or  relatives,  or  appearing  to  be  in 
any  manner  connected  with  the  disaster,  these  names,  by 
a  system  of  comparison  and  elimination,  were  finally 
reduced  to  one  consolidated  list,  and  the  individual  in- 
quiries were  thereupon  instituted  in  each  case,  and 
recorded  on  the  proper  blanks  furnished  for  that  pur- 
pose. 

The  patrolmen  detailed  for  that  purpose  were  in- 
structed to  be  most  minute  and  exact,  in  obtaining  the 
fullest  information,  and  I  believe  their  work  has  been 
faithfully  and  intelligently  performed. 

I  would  further  state,  that  the  list  of  persons  classi- 
fied as  "  missing,"  and  containing  the  names  of  ninety- 
three  persons,  and  who  are  positively  known  to  have 
been  on  board  the  steamer  General  Slocum,  at  the  time  of 
the  disaster,  have  not  returned  to  their  homes,  and  can 
be  considered  as  having  also  perished,  and  which  number 
added  to  the  list  of  names,  classified  as  "  dead,"  would 
increase  the  list  of  "dead"  to  a  total  of  1031  persons, 
and  which  would  probably  represent  the  entire  actual 
mortality  of  the  disaster. 


LIST  OK   VICTIMS   OF  THE  GENERAL  SLOCUM. 

RECAPITULATION. 

Total  number  of  persons  dead 938 

Total  number  of  persons  missing 93 

Total  number  of  persons  injured 179 

Total  number  of  persons  uninjured 236 

Total  number  of  children  made  orphans     ....       15 

Total  number  of  persons  who  have  been  reported 

in  the  newspapers  and    from  other  sources,  as 

having  been  in   the  disaster,  and   which  were 

ascertained  by  the  police  not  to  have  been  on 

board,  and  who  are  alive 33 

Number  of  unidentified  bodies  buried  by  the  city  : 

Number  drowned 42 

Number  burned 38 

Total 80 

Annexed  please  find  detailed  list,  giving  the  name, 
age,  and  residence  of  every  person,  either  "  dead," 
"  missing,"  "  injured,"  or  "  uninjured." 

In  addition  to  the  instructions  already  given,  the 
patrolmen  were  also  instructed  to  make  inquiries  of  the 
survivors  as  to  the  knowledge  in  their  possession,  having 
a  tendency  to  aid  the  District  Attorney  in  the  prosecution 
of  persons  responsible  for  the  disaster,  and  this  has 
resulted  in  the  obtaining  of  some  information,  and  which 
statements  are  herewith  annexed,  and  copies  of  which 
have  been  forwarded  to  the  District  Attorney. 

I  would  further  state,  that  the  inquiries  also  extended 
to  the  ascertaining  of  how  many  children  have  been  made 
orphans,  by  the  loss  of  their  parents  by  the  disaster,  and 
all  cases  of  persons  in  distress  and  in  need  of  aid  and 
assistance,  to  enable  them  to  bury  the  dead,  and  to  assist 
them  in  their  immediate  wants,  and  which  cases  are  also 
herewith  annexed,  and  a  copy  of  the  same  having  been 


340  LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE  GENERAL  SLOCUM. 

forwarded  to  the  Citizens  Relief  Committee,  in  order  that 
immediate  relief  may  be  given. 

I  would  also  further  state  that  all  the  photographs 
of  unidentified  bodies  taken  at  the  Morgue,  by  your 
order,  and  transmitted  to  me  from  your  office,  have  been 
placed  on  exhibition  at  the  Fifteenth  Precinct  Station 
House,  and  the  friends  and  relatives  of  missing  persons 
have  been  invited  to  inspect  these  photographs,  and 
already  seven  identifications  have  been  made  from  these 
photographs. 

Also,  the  description  of  all  unidentified  bodies,  trans- 
mitted to  me  from  your  office,  are  being  compared  with 
the  descriptions  obtained  by  the  police  officers  from  friends 
and  relatives  of  missing  persons,  and  recorded  by  these 
officers  on  the  Department  "  Missing  Person  Blanks," 
for  the  purpose  of  establishing  the  identity  of  such  iden- 
tified bodies.  The  blanks  containing  the  description  of 
all  persons  missing  are  herewith  respectfully  transmitted, 
together  with  the  blanks  especially  prepared  for  the 
investigation,  and  properly  filled  out  and  signed  by  the 
officers  detailed  to  make  the  inquiry  in  each  case. 
Respectfully, 


Inspector  First  District,  New  York. 


LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE  GENERAL  SLOCUM. 


341 


MISSING. 

[Where  the  city  is  not  named  New  York  is  understood.] 


Name.  Age.  Bt  sidence. 

Ambrust.Edna 6... 106  E.  10th  St. 

Ansel,  Eugene 6... 103  E.  4th  St. 

Abranis,  Isaac  25...  10(3  Ave.  C. 

Bahr,  Louisa  32. ..424  E.  9th  St. 

Barth.Mary 0...87  Ave.  A. 

Bock,  Grace 4... Marcy  Ave.,  cor. 

S.  1st  St.,  Brooklyn. 

Boenhardt,  Ella 12...322  E.  13th  St. 

Burfiend,  Kate 24. ..100  W.  106  St. 

Brauer,  Jeanette 5. ..107  E.  84th  St. 

Baudeow, George 3...84  7thSt. 

Becker,  Mary 61....1157  Lex  Ave. 

Becker,  Lilly 27....1157  Lex  Ave. 

Conn,  Minnie 28. ..103  E.  4th  St. 

(.'lug,  Carolina S4....468  8th  Ave. 

Delhi,  Catherine  3. .. 209  E.  5th  St. 

Druse,  Henry 7. ..54  E.  4th  St. 

DeLuccia,  Nicholas  4. ..54  E.  7th  St. 

Drews,  Henry 7. ..54  E.  4th  St. 

Diettrich,  George 10....96  Greenwich  St. 

Erhardt,  Clara 2....151  E.4th  St, 


Fettig,  Elsie 2.. 

Fisher,  Emma 30.. 

Fittig,  Mrs.  Peter 52., 

Fleischer,  Henry 15- 

Frey,  Frederick 1.. 

Fingeragle,  Katie 36.. 

Finglenagle,  Clara 7.. 

Finglenagle,  Win 5- 

Finglenagle,  Mary 10.. 

Groveld,  Fritz 12- 

Grissler,  Anna 85.. 

Greissler,  Lillie 7.. 

Goetz,  Albert 2.. 

Grews,  Barbara 36. 

Geuenwald,  Emily 55. 

Grunning,  Helen 10  mo.. 

Gardner,  Mrs.  Chas 34.. 

Galenski,  Flora 36.. 

Graner,  Louis 22.. 

Geissler,  Ella 5.. 


120  2d  Ave. 

1031st  Ave. 
..120  2d  Ave. 
..322  E.  13th  St. 
..84  7th  St. 
..439  6th  St. 
.439  E.  6th  St. 
..439  E.  6th  SL 
..439  E.  6th  St. 

..oii  E.  7th. 

..439  E.  6th  St. 

ABU  K.  6th  st. 

..801st  Ave. 

..526  E.  6th  St. 

..267  Ave.  B. 

.45  E.  7th  St. 

.748  Wtchester  av 

.54  E.  7th  St. 

.100  University  pi. 

.439  6th  St. 


Xante.  Age. 

Harris,  Silver 16... 

Hesterberg,  Mrs.  B — .. 

Hansen,  Elizabeth 67. 

Hausel,  Eugene 6.. 

Heinz,  Dina 10.. 

Hlavacek,  Annie — .. 

Just,  Jos 6.. 

Just,  Margaret 1. 

Just,  Amelia 38. 

Koster,  Meta 6.. 

Koster,  Anna 9.. 

Kirschner,  John 67... 


Residence. 
.242  E.  5th  St. 
.419  E.  5th  St. 
.64  7th  St. 
108  E.  4th  St. 
SfJ  Ave  A. 


105  E.  8th  St. 
.105  E.  8th  St. 
.105  E.  8th  St. 

348  Rlvlngton  St. 
343  Rivington  St. 
185  Russell  S.,B'n. 


Hensler,  Amelia 18....154  1st  Ave. 

Hinkl,  Lillie S....227  E.  7th  St. 

Hansen,  Margaret 70  .  64  E.  7th  st. 


Liebrnow,  Helen 6...1S3  E.  125th  St. 

Marshall,  Daniel 14...127  First  Ave. 

Mailer,  Elizabeth 6  mo...406  E.  6th  St. 

Moller,  Fred 2. ..998  Ave.  A. 

Mundle,  Lillian 88...11 7th  St. 

Molito,  Jos 6  mo. ..Midland     Ave. 

Yonkers.N.  Y. 

Mailer,  Annie 6  mo...406  E.  6th  St. 

Motzer 4...405  E.  6th  St. 

Miller,  Mary 7  mo. ..41  First  Ave. 

Nieduhr,  Mamie 7...23Ave.  B. 

Oellrich,  Minnie 4. ..611   Marcy  Ave.t 

Brooklyn. 

Oellrich,  Lizzie 3. ..611    Marcy    Ave., 

Brooklyn. 

(Hunger,  Andrew 7. ..91  7th  St. 

Ottinger,  Arthur 5...917thSt. 

Oellrich,  Fred 6.611    Marcy    Ave., 

Brooklyn. 

Brawd,  Siki  Johanna 1...85  E.  3d  St. 

Roth,  Jos 13.. .305  5th  St. 

Reiss,  Annie 2. ..70  First  Ave, 

Stlehl,  Lillie 16.. .55  First  Ave. 

Schmldling,  Mary 55. ..119  E.  7th  St. 

Smith,  Beatrice 2  mo. ..920  E.  133th  St. 

Schiller,  Geo 8  mo.. .45  First  Ave. 

Schmidt  Annie 30... 180  Ave.  B. 


342 


LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE  GENERAL  SLOCUM. 


Name.  Age.  Residence. 

Sackman,  Margaret 9. ..341  Rivington  St. 

Schuman,  Annie 5. ..118  St.  Marks  PI- 

Schoefling,  Elsie 3...189  Third  Ave. 

Stick,  Minnie 18...337  5th  St. 

Schaefer,  Katie 6...32213thSt. 

Schumaker,  Edward 10. ..436  6th  St. 

Tetamore,  Herbert 4... 1471   Bushwick 

Ave.,  Brooklyn. 
Thomas,  Lydia 6.. .90  Ave.  A. 


Name.  Age.  Residenct. 

Vetter,  Charles 12...760  6th  St. 

Vassner  Johanna 32.. .332  5th  St. 

Weaver,  Christina 11. ..304  E.  9th  St. 

Woll,  Freda 38...283   Himrod    St. 

Brooklyn. 
Webber,  Frank 7...404  5th  St. 

Zipsie,  Sophie 17...335  E.  21st  St. 

Zarges,  Marie —...132  E.  93d  St. 


DEAD. 


Name.  Age.  Residence. 

Ambrust,  Mrs.  Kate 45. ..166  E.  4th  St, 

Armand,  Lillian 14  mo...334  E.  6th  St. 

Anger,  Rosie  19. ..1365  3d  Ave. 

Ansel,  Alfred 4. .. 103  E.  4th  St. 

Ansel,  Louisa 28...103  E.  4th  St. 

Abenschein,  Mary 34. ..325  E.  18th  St. 

Alfeld,  Anna 45. ..399  6th  St. 

Alfeld,  Tillie 16....339  6th  St. 

Ackerman,  Barbara 30  .406  E.  5th  St. 

Ackerman,  Lena 16  mo....406  E.  5th  St. 

Albers,  Eva 17...628  E.  138  St. 

Addicks,  John 15. ..49  Ave.  A. 

Addicks,  Martha 11. ..49  Ave.  A. 

Anger,  Charles  A 52...357  E.  62d  St. 

Anger,  Mrs.  Minnie 29....357  E.  62d  St. 

Abbeser,  Amelia 36....128  E.  4th  St. 

Abbesser,  Henry 6... 128  E.  4th  St. 

Albrecht.Salvena —...201  E.  10th  St. 

Alnoldi,  Ella 11..733 1st  Ave. 

Behrens,  Alice 16. ..127    Garden     St., 

Hoboken,  N.  J. 

Ballmer,  Mary 36....123  1st  Ave. 

Ballmer,  Joseph  W 16.. .123 1st  Ave. 

Ballmer,  Augusta 8. ..123 1st  Ave. 

Burfiend,  Dora 23...245  W.  27th  St. 

Burfiend,  Margaret 2.. .245  W.  27th  St. 

Burfiend,  Dora 2mo...243  W.  27th  St. 

Birmingham,  Cather'e..72...79  Mangin  St. 

Baumann,  Madelina 30. ..526  6th  St. 

Baumann,  Margaret 6...526  6thSt. 

Baumann,  Otto 5. ..526  6th  St. 

Beck,  Christina 55...313  E.  9th  St. 

Brown,  Mollie 32...233E.  5th  St. 

Brown,  Elsie 10...233  E.  5th  St. 

Brown,  Willie 6. .. 233  E.  5th  St. 

Brunning,  John  L 44. ..215  E.  12th  St. 

Brunning,  Annie  E 43.. . 215  E.  12th  St. 

Brunning,  Madelina 12.. .215  E.  12th  St. 

Bretz,  Mary 28. ..304  E.  28th  St. 

Bretz,  Eda 3. ..304  E.  28th  St. 


Name.  Age.  Residence. 

Bretz,  Elsie 7  mo...304  E.  28th  St. 

Brosewald,  Meta 50. ..269  Monroe  St. 

Benneke,  Mary 30... 420  E.  17th  St. 

Belmken,  Annie 13...344  E.  48th  St. 

Buchkort,  Anna 66. ..141  E.  3d  St. 

Behrens,  Henry 6. ..22  St.  Mark's  Fl. 

Balser,  Amelia 46.. .422  E.  8th  St. 

Burfiend,  John 10  mo...l00  W.  106  St. 

Boenhardt,  Otto 14...322E.  13th  St. 

Berg,  Lena 45.. .158  Goerck  St. 

Bernhardi,  Anna 5. ..43  E.  2d  St. 

Baumle,  Margaret 85. ..433  E.  6th  St, 

Baumle,  Annie 11. ..433  E.  6th  St. 

Behrendt,  Clara 8...88  3dSt. 

Bauer,  Caroline 42. ..31  Beekman  Fl. 

Boerger,  Pauline 47...104  1st  Ave. 

Boerger,  Philip,  J r 9. ..104 1st  Ave. 

Boerger,  Pauline 5. ..104 1st  Ave. 

Blohm,  Margaret 18...18-20  Jackson  St. 

Blohm,  Dora 15...18-20  Jackson  St. 

Blohm,  Anna 28. ..573  Central  Ave 

Brooklyn. 

Bahr,  Ida 13...424  E.  9th  St. 

Bahr,  Lillian 7.. .424  E.  9th  St. 

Blusch,  Kate 25. ..41  Ave.  A. 

Barnhardi,  Annie 5. ..614  E.  9th  St. 

Bush,  Hilda 8...82  W.  90th  St. 

Beekman,  Margaret 23.. .1894  3dAve. 

Beekman,  Margaret...7  mo. ..1894  3d  Ave. 

Bensh,  Mary 42...401 5th  St. 

Balserm,  Catherine 32.. .137  Ave.  B. 

Bose,  Anna 54. ..135  Ave.  A. 

Bose,  Emily 19. ..135  Ave.  A. 

Boeger,  Susan  L ~82... °10  Putnam  Ave. 

Brooklyn. 
Boeger,  William 5. ..910  Putnam  Ave., 

Brooklyn. 
Boeger,  Florence 3. ..910  Putnam  Ave., 

Brooklyn. 

[  Bozenhardt,  Emily 38. ..110 1st  Ave. 

[  Bozenhardt,  Lucile 11. ..110 1st  Ave. 


LIST  OF  VICTIMS   OF  THE   GENERAL  SLOCUM. 


343 


Name.                           .  1  ge .  Res  idencc. 

Behrens,  Alice 10... 127    Garden    St., 

lloboken. 

Baumler,  Aunle 43. ..433  E.  6tb  St. 

Baumler,  Chas 10...488  E.  6th  St. 

Baumler,  Annie 12.. .433  E.  6th  St. 

Bell,  Agnus, 16.. .242  E.  5th  St. 

Braun,  Molile. 32. ..233  E.  5th  St. 

Brauu,  Elsie 10...288  E.  5th  St. 

Braun,  Walter (5.. .233  E.  5th  St. 

Boden,  Ella 49.. .101    Clymer    St., 

Brooklyn. 

Buschmlller,  Aunle 27.. .7!)  Cayler  St.,  B'k. 

Berdholdt,  Mrs.  Fred 30.. .41  ad  Ave. 

Brandello,  Eliza 29.. .81  7th  St. 

Brandello,  Louise 5...84  7thSt. 

Bentz,  Arthur 18.. .333  5th  St. 

Breda,  Mamie 25.. .'JO  Ave.  A. 

Breda,  Minnie 29... 90  Ave.  A. 

Breda,  Minnie 18  mo. ..90  Ave.  A. 

Breda,  Thomas 9...90Ave.  A. 

Brower,  Margaret  L 83...107  E.  84th  St. 

Becker,  Theodore 2. ..1157  Lexingt'n  Av. 

Benning,  Magdellne 12.. .72  \V.  111th  St. 

Buchmiller,  Arthur — ...7J  Cayler  St.,  Bk. 

Buchmlller,  George 7. ..79  Cayler  St.,  Bk. 

Brocks,  Mary 13.. .51  Ave.  A. 

behrens,  Augusta 52.. .127    Garden    St., 

Hoboken. 

Breda,  Minnie, 29.. .150  N.  9th  St.,  Bk. 

Birmingham,  Katie 55.. .79  Mangin  St. 

Berhold,  Augusta 30. ..1050  Prospect  Av., 

Brooklyn. 
Bock,  Louisa S9...6B    Marcy    Ave., 

Brooklyn. 

Brown,  Alphonse 13. .. 205  E.  5th  St. 

Bock,  May 7.. .09  Marcy  Av.,  Bk. 

Baist,  Lillian 13.. .23  Ave.  B. 

Baumler,  Amelia 15. .433  E.  6th  St. 

Brandt,  Eva 34. ..410  E.  9th  St. 

Curhs,  Kate 27. ..70  1st  Ave. 

Curhs,  Frida 6. ..70  1st  Ave. 

Curhs,  Henry  D 1... 70  1st  Ave. 

Cahill,  Annie  M 22.. .316  E.  6th  St. 

Cibilskl,  Kate 18.. .91  Ave.  B. 

Charlotte,  May 50. ..275  Ave.  D. 

Clow,  Margaret 40. ..54  7th  St. 

Cordes,  Meta 52.. .417  E.  16th  St. 

Cordes,  Henrietta 22. ..417  E.  16th  St. 

Cordes,  Fred 14. ..417  E.  16th  st. 

Christ,  Minnie 12.. .144  E.  7th  St. 

Cohrs,  Frieda 26. ..106  Ave.  A. 

Duls,  Pauline 54. ..in:;  \ 

Dauernheim,  Minnie 26. „1<B  Ave.  A. 

Derscb,  Ellen 41. ..76  1st  Ave. 


Name.  Age.  '■  nee. 

Dersch,  Elsie 18. ..76  1st  Ave. 

Darenheim,  Minnie 26...1005  Jackson  Ave. 

Brooklyn. 

Doerlng,  Ida 84. ..12  State  St. 

Doerlng,  Gustav 9. ..12  State  St. 

Uoering,  Ida 11...12 State  St. 

Dangler,  Arthur 4....123  7th  St. 

Dunn,  Julia 28. ..2112  3d  Ave. 

Dunn,  Arthur 1... 2112  3d  Ave. 

Dreher,  Angelica 43. ..310  E.  25th  St. 

Dreher,  Catherine 11. ..310  E.  25th  St. 

Dreher,  Conracl 4. ..310  East  25th  St. 

Dorhoffer,  Frieda 13. ..121  Ave.  A. 

Dorhoffer,  Fritz 7. ..121  Ave.  A. 

Diamond,  May 6. ..79  Mangin  St. 

Diamond,  Frank 5. ..79  Mangin  St. 

DieckhofT,  Catherine 42. ..121  4th  Ave.,  B'k. 

DieckhofT,  Annie 17.. .121  4th  Ave.,  B'k. 

DieckhofT,  Mary 15. .121  lth  Ave.,  B'k. 

DieckhofT,  William 4. .121  4th  Ave.,  B'k. 

DieckhofT,  Catherine 13.  .121  4th  Ave.,  B'k. 

Dappert,  Agnes 61. ..328  E.  6th  St. 

Dappert,  Mary 28. ..328  E.  6th  St. 

Deittrich,  Adeline 35.. .96  Greenwich  St. 

Diettrich,  Alfred 9. ..96  Greenwich  St. 

Diettrich,  Herman 5. ..96  Greenwich  St. 

Diettrich,  Emma 2. ..96  Greenwich  St. 

Diebl,  Lizzie, 27. ..209  E.  5th  St. 

Diehl,  Elsie 7. .. 209  E.  5th  St. 

Diehl,  Kate 3. ..209  E.  5th  St. 

Dornheim,  Mrs.  A 5)  .11  3d  Ave. 

Drewes,  Frieda 28...W  K.  4th  St. 

Drewes,  Catherine 65.. .54  E.  4th  St. 

Drewes,  Millie 2.. ..54  E.  4th  St. 

DeLuccia,  Agnes 6.. .54  7th  St. 

DeLuccia,  Frank 8  ..54 7th  St. 

Ebling,  Emma 32. .77  1st  Ave. 

Ebling,  George 5.. .77  1st  Ave. 

Ehrhart,  Minnie 14. ..69  1st  Ave. 

Ehrhart,  Eliza 2. ..151  E.  4th  st. 

Ehrhart,  Pauline 81. ..151  E.  4th  St. 

Esher,  Rosie 16. ..88  Ave.  A. 

Echersdorfer,  Charlotte..21...313  E.  18th  St. 

Erdmann,  Margaret :«...346  E.  9th  St. 

Erdmann,  Alma 11. .. 346  E.  9th  St. 

Elmer,  Kate 44. ..84  Stockholm  St., 

Brooklyn. 
Elmer,  Carl 13.. .84  Stockholm  Bk, 

Brooklyn. 
Elmer,  George 11. ..84  Stockholm  St., 

Brooklyn. 

Ems,  Christina 61. .184  W.  Broadway. 

Eilar,  Matilda 46...2l!>  E.  13th  St. 

Hilar.  Elsie 16.. .219  E.  Lit  1 

Eysel,  Jennie 9.. .203  Ave.  A. 


S44 


LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE  GENERAL  SLOCUM. 


Name.  Age.  Residence. 

Engelman,  Louise 2S...425  E.  12th  St. 

Engelman,  William 6...425  E.  12th  St. 

Elk,  Adellade 24...306E.  6th  St. 

Elk,  Frances 17  mo...806  E.  6th  St. 

Ellig,  Lizzie 6...433  5thSt. 

Ellig,  Margaret 4... 433  E.  5th  St. 

Erklin,  Theo 6... 1030  Hudson  St., 

Hoboken,  N.  J. 

Funk,  Michaei 12...83  Ave.  A. 

Fickbohm,  Marie 40.. .91  Ave.  D. 

Fickbohm,  Earnest 12...91  Ave.  D. 

Fickbohm,  Marie 14...91  Ave.  D. 

Foelsing,  Amelia.... 34... 1914  3d  Ave. 

Foelsing,  Elizabeth 14...1914  3d  Ave. 

Foelsing,  George  9. ..1914  3d  Ave. 

Foelsing,  Ferdinand 7...1914  3d  Ave. 

Fischler,  Herta 7. ..314  E.  9th  St. 

Fischler,  Erna 6...314E.  9th  St. 

Froelich,  Mrs 23.. .301  W.  96th  St. 

Feldhaus,  George 11. ..526  Sixth  St. 

Folke,  Annie 51...257  Ave.  B. 

Folke,  Dora 76...257Ave.  B. 

Fisher,  Edna 6.. .108 1st  Ave. 

Fisher,  Lillie 4...108 1st  Ave. 

Feldhausen,  Margaret 48...50  W.  8th  St. 

Feldhausen,  Nicholas 12...50  W.  8th  St. 

Felske,  Gusta 38...211  E.  5th  St. 

Felske,  Elizabeth 14...211  E.  5th  St. 

Felske,  Herman 8  mo. ..211  E.  5th  St. 

Fritz,  Elna 47...  1225  Park  Ave. 

Frese,  Annie 20.. .426  E.  15th  St. 

Freck,  Charles 14...409  E.  5th  St. 

Fittlg,  Peter 48...  120  2d  Ave. 

Feldhausen,  George 42. ..50  W.  8th  St. 

Feldhaus,  George 11.. .949  E.  137th  St. 

Felmeden,  Lizzie 36.. .80  1st  Ave. 

Fresa,  Anna 20...426  E.  15th  St. 

Frey,  Lillian 34.. .84  7th  St. 

Fettig,  Christina 33...120  2d  Ave. 

Gross,  Emma 43.. .90  1st  Ave. 

Gross,  Bruno 6...90 1st  Ave. 

Grellka,  Amelia 48...345  E.  15th  St. 

Grellka,  Olga 14...345  E.  15th  St. 

Grellka,  Agnes 10...345  E.  15th  St. 

Greisel,  Emma 3... 117  E.  2d  St. 

Geissler,  Louis 10...489  6th  St. 

Gress,  Lillian 10  mo...526  E.  6th  St. 

Gress,  George 8. ..526  E.  6th  St. 

Goss,  Mary 59...97  7th  St. 

Goss,  Gertrude 27. ..97  7th  St. 

Gress,  Otto 43...134  7th  St. 

Gress,  Eliza 41. ..134  7th  St. 

Gress,  Clara 13. ..184  7th  St. 


Name.  Age.  Residence. 

Gress,  Walter 12.. .134  7th  St. 

Grafting,  Lillian 28. ..998  Ave.  A. 

German,  Frederica 39. ..315  E.  18th  St, 

German,  Catherine  F 17...315  E.  18th  St. 

German,  Frederica  F 15...315  E.  18th  St. 

Grimm,  Selma 33...314  E.  9th  St. 

Gillis,  Charles 16...512E.5thSt. 

Gillis,  George 13. ..512  E.  5th  St. 

Gassman,  Minnie 11. ..128  E.  4th  St. 

Gassman,  Frank 8.. .1218  E.  4th  St. 

Gassman,  Michael 5.. .128  E.  4th  St. 

Goetz,  Catherine 28.. .80  1st  Ave. 

Gerstenderger,  Richard..38..,147  W.  32d  St. 

Gerstenberger,  Annie 39.  .147  W.  32dSt. 

Gallagher,  Veronice 34.. .424  E.  15th  St. 

Gallagher,  Walter 9...424  E.  15th  St. 

Gallagher,  Agnes 9  mo.. .424  E.  15th  St. 

Gardner,  Lizzie 24. ..748    Westchestei 

Ave. 

Grunning,  Ella 29...45  E.  7th  St. 

Grunning,  Henry 5. ..45  E.  7th  St. 

Gibbons,  Margaret 13. ..225  E.  5th  St. 

Gibbons,  Ela, 11. ..225  E.  5th  St. 

Geisser,  Kate 25. ..1225  Park  Ave. 

Gerdes,  Christina, 49.. .341  Rivington  Sfc 

Gerdes,  Henrietta 47. ..341  Rivington  Si. 

Gruben,  Emma, 40. ..402  E.  17th  St. 

Gruben,  Caroline, 13.. .420  E.  17th  St. 

Gerdes,  Henry, 80.. .430  Kosciusko  S*. 

Gerdes,  Mrs.  Henry 60. ..430  Kosciusko  St. 

Goettler,  Caroline, 6S...233  E.  5th  St. 

Gade,  Grace, 16...405  E.  5th  St. 

Geisler,  Ida, 19. ..201  Avenue  A. 

Galenski,  Helen, 6.. .54  7th  St. 

Galenski,  Morris,  3...54  7th  St. 

Goetz,  Leona, 12.. .337  5th  St. 

Grewe,  Henry, 16. ..54  E.  7th  St. 

Grewe,  Frederick, 14. ..54  E.  7th  St. 

Geissman,   Lena, 16.. .114  E.  4th  St. 

Grovald,  Elsie, 10...56  E.  7th  St. 

Goetz,  Edward, 5. ..80  First  Ave. 

Goetz,  Albert, 3. ..80  First  Ave. 

Goss,  Mary,.... 59. ..27  Stanton  St. 

Goss,  Gertrude, :■.... 27. ..27  Stanton  St. 

Grawe,  Henry 17.. .54  7th  St. 

Grawe,  Frederick, 14. ..54  7th  St. 

Galewsky,  Helen, 7. ..54  7th  St. 

Galewsky,  Morris 54  7th  St. 

Greenwald,  Richard, 5...257  Ave.  B. 

Grunning,  Charles, 3...45  7thSt. 

Hendkamp,  John, 54. ..805  6th  St. 

Hendkamp  Margaret,. ..11. ..805 6th  St. 

Hendkamp,  Frank, 8. ..805  6th  St. 

Hoffman,  Celie, 36.. .116  Lake  St.  J.  C. 

Hoffman,  Raymond 5. ..116  LakeSt.  J.C. 


LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE  GENERAL  SLOCUM. 


345 


Xame.  Age.  Residence. 

Hoffman,  Edna, 3...116  LakeSt.  J.  ('. 

Hording,  Minnie  K, 24. ..402  3rd  Ave. 

Heme),  Minnie, 5G...801  E.  147St. 

Haag,  Ella, 18...158  1st  Ave. 

llaag,  susianna 49. ..158  1st  Ave. 

Ueuer,   Dora, 39. ..129  Division  St. 

Heuer,  Mary, 17. ..129  Division  St. 

lleuer,  Dora, 7. ..129  Division  St. 

ileuer,  Herman 9... 129  Division  St. 

Heyrlsob,  Katie, 47...423  E.  16th  st. 

Hoffman,  Elizabeth, 55. ..170th  St.  <t  Wash- 
ington Ave. 
Hoffman,  Mary, 29. ..170th  St.  &  Wash- 
ington Ave 

Hetterich,  Lizzie, 30.. .420  E.  15th  St. 

Hetterich,  Robert, 6. .. 420  E.  15th  St. 

Hetterich,  Emile 8...420  E.  15th  St. 

Hauff,  Matilda, 14. ..41  Ave.  A. 

Haas,  liana, 46...G4  E.  7th  St. 

Heeke,  Tessle 10.. .504  E.  15th  St. 

llirt,  Mary, 64...611Columbus  Av. 

Heggenbucher,  Mary 33. ..2112-  3rd  Ave. 

Hirt,  Mary (>i...S2  W.  90th  St. 

Hettinger,  Lizzie, 28...  127  1st  Ave. 

Heagy,  Barbara 17. ..108  1st  Ave. 

Herz,  Minnie, 32. ..412  -  Gth  St. 

Ileins,  Erank, 11. ..397  E.  4th  St. 

Hiller,  Cbristiua, (iS...404  E.  6th  St, 

lliller,  (iodfrey (1(1. ..404  E.  6th  St. 

Holler,  Barbara, 50. ..338  E.  Oth  St. 

Hoag,  William, 14...210  E.  Hthst. 

Hoag,  Wilmur, 12. .. 210  E.  14th  St. 

Hoag,  Emiua, 9...210  E.  14th  St. 

Hoag,  Susianna, 49. ..153  1st  Ave. 

Hoag,  Ella 13. ..158  1st  Ave. 

Hell,  George, 11. ..55  1st  Ave. 

Hell,  Emile 12. ..55  1st  Ave. 

Hell,  Fred, 6. ..53  1st  Ave. 

Hartman,  Mary, 45. ..309  E.  10th  St. 

Heinz,  Johanna, 44. ..97  Ave.  A. 

Heinz,  Louisa, 20. ..97  Ave.  A. 

Heidkamper,  Maggie,.  .  11.  .49  Ave.  A. 

Heckert,  Annie, 11. ..88  Ave.  A. 

Heckert,  Julia, 8  mo. -88  Ave.  A. 

Hotz,  George, 5. ..319  5th  Bt. 

Horway,  Mrs.  Anna, 26. ..313  E.  9th  Bt 

Horway,  Karl 1...313  E.  9th  Bt 

Horway,  Delia, 6...818  E.  s>th  st. 

Heislon,  Margaret, .33... 181  Waverly  PI, 

Heislon,  George, 3...1S1  Waverly  PL 

Hel,  Adelade 15. ..Boston  Road  and 

Pelham  Pk,  Bkn. 

Hensler,  Gussie, 11. .154  1st  Ave. 

Heokman,  William 8... 525  E.  I2tli  st. 

Hartman,  Margaret, 15...908  E.  10th  St. 

Hetteroeb,  Elizabeth, 30...  JA)  E.  151  h  st. 


Name.  Age.  Residence. 

Hessel,  Wilhelma, &3...801  E.  147th  St. 

Hoffman,  Ella, 14...Astor  Library. 

Hardekopf,  Meta, 40. ..343  Rlvlngton  St. 

Henry,  Sadie 12...225-5th  St. 

Hecken,  Lucy, 41...169S.  2dSt.,Bklyn 

Hecken,  Charles 18...169S.  2dSt.,Bklyn 

Hartung,  Louise, 47. ..342  E.  21st  St. 

Hartung,  Clara 10.. .342  E.  21st  St. 

Hartung  Francis, 13.. .342  E.  21st  St. 

Hartung  Amelia, 13. ..342  E.  21st  St. 

Hartung,  Elsie, 6. .. 842  E.  21st  St. 

Heins,  Anna 29.. .240  -  9th  Ave. 

Hertzenberger,  Mrs.  H...37.  .22  St.  Marks  PI. 

Hermann,  Catherine 60....437  5th  St. 

Hermann,  Elsie 3. ..410  5th  St. 

Hermann,  Fred 13  mo...J10  5th  St. 

Holder,  Marie 79. ..169  Ave.  A. 

Hermann,  Emily 35. ..410  5th  St. 

Hermann,  George... .14  mo..  410  5th  St. 

Hernberg,  Arthur 9...79Colyer  St.Bkln 

Hernberg,  George 6. ..79  Colyer  St.Bkln 

Hoffman,  Sophia 51. ..73 2d  St. 

Hoffman,  Mrs.  C 37...336  N.  Y.Ave.,J.C 

Hotz,  Anna 37...819  E.5th  St. 

Hotz,  Bertha 12. ..819  E.  5th  St. 

Hoffman,  Edna 2—886  X.  Y.Ave.,J.C. 

Heins  Annie 40...300  Eront  St. 

ileins  Annie 26...300  Front  St. 

Heins,  Ida 14. ..300  Front  St. 

Heins,  Etta 10.. .300  Front  St. 

Heins,  Margaret 7. ..300  Front  st. 

Heins,  Henrietta 10....800  Front  St 

Hetterick,  Adolph 8  mo....420  E.  15th  St. 

Hecklin,  Katie 

Heckman,  Lillian 6...512  E.  12th  St 

Hauff,  Tillie 14...142  E.  3d  St. 

Hertz,  Minnie 32....412  6th  St. 

Haas,  Gertrude 13. ..64  7th  St. 

Havermeyer,  Emma 37. .1499  First  Ave. 

Havermeyer,  Willie  7...  1499  First  Ave. 

Irvin,  Fannie 33...2112  3d  Ave. 

Iden,  Henrietta 10. ..100  E.  4th  St. 

Iden,  Minnie 18...100  E.  4th  St. 

Iden,  Grace 5. ..100  E.  4th  St. 

Irwin,  Julia 24. ..2112 3d  Ave. 

llmar,  Fritz 47...1225  Park  Ave. 

Jolmck,  Bertha 57...314  E.  9th  St 

Just,  Amelia 13. ..406  E.  8th  St 

Just,  Etelka 12.. .405  E.  8th  St. 

Just,  Leontine 10. ..405  E.  8th  St 

Kreckler,  Margaret B_J67  Ave.  A. 

Kruutwrst,  Annie 14. ..114  E.  4th  St. 

Kolb,  Valentine 58... 743  E.  201st  St. 


346 


LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE  GENERAL  SLOCUM. 


Name.  Age.  Residence. 

Kolb,  Magdaline 72...743  E.  201st  St. 

Klein,  Tiena 73...31  Ave.  A. 

Klein,  Tillie 10.. .31  Ave.  A. 

Klein,  Teina 40. ..31  Ave.  A. 

Klein,  Julius 6....31  Ave.  A. 

Krafft,  Louisa 30...145  E.  4th  St. 

Kessler,  Babette 40.. .203  E.  7th  St. 

Kessler,  Augustus 13. ..203  E.  7th  St. 

Kohler,  Henry  A 40...315  E.  13th  St. 

Kohler,  Mary 38. ..815  E.  13th  St. 

Kohler,  Henry  A.,  Jr 12...315  E.  13th  St. 

Kopf,  Lizzie 32...337  E.  9th  St. 

Kopf,  Emeil 10.. .337  E.  9th  St. 

Kopf,  Francis 8.. .337  E.  9th  St. 

Kopf,  Theodore 5...8S7  E.  9th  St. 

Kopf,  Elle 2...3S7  E.  9th  St. 

Kalb,  Gussie 22...517  E.  5th  St. 

Klatthaer,  Catherine 56.. .506  E.  5th  St. 

Klatthaer,  George 14. ..506  E.  5th  St. 

Klennan,  Meta 57...1391  Wash.  Ave. 

Kara,  Barbara 60...314  E.  6th  St. 

Klein,  Emma 25...314  E.  6th  St. 

Klein,  Emily 9. .. 314  E.  6th  St. 

Klenck,  Bertha 40.. .113  St.  Mark's  PI. 

Klenck,  William 20.. .113  St.  Mark's  PI. 

Klenck,  Charles 7. ..113  St.  Mark's  PI. 

Kosel,  Lillian 5...266  Ave.  A. 

Koster,  Margaret 46. ..343  Rivington  St. 

King,  Catherine 46.. .314  E.  46th  St. 

Karl,  Barbara 60...314  E.  46th  St. 

Kleinhenz,  Barbara 14. ..190  Ave.  A. 

Kleinhenz,  Lina 11. ..196  Ave.  A. 

Kiessel  Lillian 5.. .266  Ave.  A. 

Klein,  John 17...391  E.  3d  St. 

Kawezymskix,  Teonl 15. ..196  3d  Ave. 

Klamme,  Meta 24. ..1391  Washington 

Avenue. 
Klamme,  May 1...1391    Washington 

Avenue. 
Klob,  Valentine 68. ..743  Summer  St., 

Bronx. 
Klob,  Magdalena 72.. .743  Summer   St., 

Bronx. 

Kalk,  Augusta 21...84  7th  St. 

Klennen,  Ethel 1...1391  Washington 

Avenue. 
Kirsher,  Catherine 61...185    Russell    St., 

Brooklyn. 
Kirscher,  Margaret 83.. .185     Russell    St., 

Brooklyn. 
Kircher,  Elsie 7.. .185     Russell    St., 

Brooklyn. 
Kirsher,  Karl 3...185     Russell    St., 

Brooklyn. 
Klennen,  Meta 56...1391   Washington 

Avenue. 


Name.  Age.  Residence. 

Klennen,  Ethel 11  mo...l391   Washington 

Avenue. 

Keppler,  Louis 17...192  First  Ave. 

Keisel,  Millie 6. ..266  Ave.  A. 

Klenck,  Minnie 19. ..438  6th  St, 

Klenck,  Minnie 19...438  6th  St. 

Klein,  Mrs.  Diana 72. ..29  Ave.  A. 

Klein,  Manoi 13...313  Miller    Ave.. 

Brooklyn. 

Kunze,  Gussie 20...417  E.  16th  St. 

Kleseh,  Katie 6...800E.  14th St. 

Keppeler,  Irene 12. ..192  First  Ave. 

Kriegler,  Margaret 24.. .257  Ave,  B. 

Kreigler,  Fred 10. ..257  Ave.  B. 

Kreigler,  Annie 7. ..257  Ave.  B. 

Link,  Edward 12. ..76  Ave.  A. 

Link,  Lottie 8. ..76  Ave.  A. 

Lurin,  Xena 17. ..11  E.  4th  St. 

Ludemann, Johanna 45. ..4    Smith    St. 

White  Plains 
Lutgens,  Katie 46...101    Clymer    St.. 

Brooklyn. 
Lutgems,  Maggie 18...101    Clymer     St.. 

Brooklyn. 

Ludwig,  George 14...413  E.  17th  St. 

Lang,  xVmelia 15. ..154  E.  Broadway. 

Lullman,  Carrie 24. ..100  University  pi 

Lambeck,  Ernest 9. ..427  E.  9th  St. 

Lambeck,  Henry 6. .. 427  E.  9th  St. 

Lambeck,  Albert 3...427  E.  9th  St. 

Luderer,  Herman 18...312E.  14th  St. 

Lane,  Gustav 17.. .227  E.  11th  St. 

Lane,  George 14. ..227  E.  11th  St. 

Lahn,  Dora 25...1000  Union  Avt, 

Lahn,  Clara 20. ..1000  Union  Ave, 

Leffler,  Catherine 41. ..9  E.  3d  St. 

Leffler,  Louise 9. ..9  E.  3d  St. 

Lieport,  Chas 12...412  E.  6th  St. 

Lamm,  Amelia 40.. .645  E.  17th  St. 

Lamm,  Frank 15... 645  E.  17th  St. 

Lamm,  Lillian 7...64S  E.  17th  St. 

Lucas,  Robert —...540  W.  39th  St. 

Libenow,  Anna 3...183E.  125th  St. 

Licome,  Minnie 19...83  7th  St. 

Liebnow,  Martha 29...404  E.  5th  St. 

Meinhardt,  Walde 15...146  E.  4th  St. 

Molke,  Lizzie 10...125  First  Ave. 

Mammelkamps,  Lizzie..44...130  E.  4th  St. 
Mammelkamps,  Stella....l2...130  E.  4th  St. 

Michael,  Margarette 41...624  E.  12th  St. 

Michael,  Willie 14...624  E.  12th  St. 

Moller,  Valesca 27.. .97  2d  Ave. 

Moller,  Edgar S...97  2d  Ave. 


LIST   OF   VICTIMS  OF  THE  GENERAL  SLOCUM. 


347 


Name.  Age.  nee. 

Mailer,  Annie 24. ..406  F.  6th  St. 

Mailer,  llermiue 87...88S  Bowery. 

Mailer,  Rose 14. ..368  How  try. 

Muller,  Edward 11.. .3(38  Bowery. 

Mallei,  Helen 8...368  Bowery. 

Muller,  Irene 4... 368  Bowery. 

Mack,  Annie 22. ..401  E.  10th  St. 

Mahlstadt,  Martin  H 22.. .629  E.  146th  St. 

Mecke,  Tessie 9...504  E.  16th  St. 

Miller,  Flora 26.. .314  E.  46th  St. 

Miller,  Florence 28. .. 28  W.  97th  St. 

Muller,  Annie 37.. .-11  First  Ave. 

Muller,  Annie 13.. .11  First  Ave. 

Muller,  Henry 3. ..41  First  Ave. 

Meininger,  I.lzzie 29...191  F.  3d  St. 

Meininger,  Harry 19mo...l!>l  E.3d  St. 

Meyer,  France 42. ..134  Hobart  Ave, 

Bayonne  N.J. 

McCarthy,  Jeremiah 9. ..134  Hobart  Ave., 

Bayonne,  N.  J. 

Mayer,  Lizzie 3D. ..88  Ave  A. 

Meyer,  Edward 10..  88  Ave  A. 

Meyer,  Kate 7. ..88  Ave  A. 

Meinhardt,  Walberger....37...146  E.  4th  St. 

Meinhardt,  Rudolph 14.. .143  E.  4tb  St. 

Meyer,  Louisa 39. ..430  E.  17th  St. 

Meyer,  Elsl 9. ..430  E.  17th  St. 

Motzer,  Annie 38. ..404  E.  6th  St. 

Moller,  Henry 13...20  St.  Mark's  PI. 

Moller,  Martha 37. ..20  St.  Mark's  PI. 

McLoughlin,  Michael 12. ..69  First  Ave. 

Morris,  Kate 15...69 First  Ave. 

Math,  Annie 62. ..1254  Lex.  Ave. 

Math,  Kate 36. ..1254  Lex.  Ave. 

Math,  Lizzie 11. ..1254  Lex.  Ave. 

Math,  Tennie 8.. .1254  Lex.  Ave. 

Math,  Katie 5. ..1254  Lex.  Ave. 

Mescke,  Betty 51...508  Robbins  Ave. 

Mescke,  Anna  M 16. ...508  Robbins  Ave. 

Manheimer,  Mamie 36.. .86 7th  St. 

Manhtimer,  Walter 11. ..86  7th  St. 

Meyer,  Meta 50.. .881  Madison  St. 

Meyer,  Lizzie 20.. .381  Madison  St. 

Miller,  Annie 21. ..123 7th  St. 

Mattes,  Lizzie 21. ..87  Ave.  A. 

Mollter,  Margarettc 36...Midlanckv Jerome 

A  vs.  Mt.  Vernon 

Midlands  Jerome 
A  vs.  Mt.  Vernon 

M  idlandA  Jerome 
A  vs. Mt.  Vernon 

421  E.  9th  St. 

421  E.  9th  St. 


Moliter,  Eva 8. 

Moliter,  Carl 5. 


Maurer,  Matilda 14 

Maurer,  George 53. 

Maurer,  Clara 12. ..421  F.  9th  St. 

Mettler,  Albert ll...8885th  St, 


Xurne.  Age.  'nice. 

Mettler,  Robert 10.. .338 5th  St. 

Mettler,  Elsie 15. ..338  5th  St. 

Mettler,  Fred 8.. .338  E.  5th  St. 

Muller,  Annie 32. ..998  A  \  • 

Muller,  Henry 1...9B8  Ave.  A. 

Mai,  Charlotte 50.. .601  E.  1st  St. 

Meinhardt,  Ruda 19... 146  E.  4th  St. 

Meyer,  George 12. ..430  E.  17th  St. 

McGrane,  Michael 48.. .2161  8th  Ave. 

Marshall,  Henry 11. ..121  1st  Ave. 

Marcellis,  Matilda 13. ..394  6tb  Ave.,  Bkn. 

Mandle,  Arthur 8. ..11  7th  st. 

Michael,  Caroline 12...171  Ave.  A. 

Miller,  Jacob 4  mos...l23  7th  St. 

Meininger,  Lizzie 29. ..631  BergenAv.Bx. 

Meininger,  Harry 2. ..631  BergeuAv.Bx. 

Moeller,  Catherine 4. ..45  2d  Ave. 

Miller,  Bernhardt 34.  .95 2d  Ave. 

Moeller,  Edward 5. ..20  St.  Marks  PI. 

Miller,  Mary 29. ..95  2d  Ave. 

Moeller,  Annie 406  E.  6th  St. 

Mattes,  Margarette 57. ..87  Ave.  A. 

Norman,  Anna 23. ..402  3d  Ave. 

Noll,  Kate 40.. .400  E.  5th  St. 

Noll,  Theodore 5. ..400  E.  5th  St. 

Neibuhr,  Meta 38.. .21  Ave.  B. 

Neibuhr,  Lizzie 9...2iAve.  B. 

Ottinger,  Kate 38. ..91  7th  St. 

Ottingcr,  Emma 15.. .91  7th  St. 

Ottinger,  Charles 15.. .91  7th  St. 

Oelrlch,  Anna 85.. .611   Marcy    Ave., 

Brooklyn. 
Oelrich,  Helen 9  mo. ..611    Marcy  Ave., 

Brooklyn. 

Oehler,  Anna  M 54. ..510  6th  St. 

uehler  Freda 14. ..5106th  St. 

Ohl,  Emila 11. .. 340  E.  9th  St. 

Ohl,  Carl 9...840  E.  9th  St. 

Osborne,  Fannie 13...20thst.  Marks  PI. 

Oelrich,  Fred 6. ..611    Marcy  Ave., 

Brooklyn. 
Oelrich,  Minnie 4. ..611    Marcy  Ave. 

Brooklyn. 
Oelrich,  Lizzie 3. ..611    Marcy  Ave. 

Brooklyn. 
Osmers,  Mildred 6. ..49  E.  88  St. 

Pfelfer,  Lillie 18.. .937  Bedford  Ave., 

Brooklyn. 

Pullman,  William  H 49...337  E.  18th  St. 

Piening,  Dora 57. ..45  E.  7th  St. 

Potiebaum,  Herman 52. ..61  St.  Mark's  PI. 

Pottebaum.  Eliza 47. ..61  St.  Mark's  PL 


348 


LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE  GENERAL  SLOCUM. 


Name.  Age.  Residence. 

Pottebaum,  William 29...61  St.  Mark's  PI. 

Probst,  Katie 24...515  E.  12th  St. 

Port,  Henry 15...88  4th  St. 

Port,  Paul  C 12...88  4th  St. 

Prawdziki,  Annie 15...85  E.  3d  St. 

Prawdziki,  Henrietta 13...85  E.  3d  St. 

Prawdziki,  Gertrude 3. ..85  E.  3d  St. 

Pauls,  Elsie 21. ..26  Ave.  A. 

Pauls,  Kate 14...26  Ave.  A. 

Polnish,  Olga 14...820  5th  St. 

Ryan,  Mamie 5. ..345  E.  15th  St. 

Rosenberger,  Mary 46. ..417  E.  16th  St. 

Rosenberger,  Lizzie 8...417  E.  16th  St. 

Reuling,  Emma 24...424  E.  6th  St. 

Roes,  Adele 24...322McDonaghSt. 

Brooklyn. 

Routh,  Ellen 20.. .310  E.  Broadway. 

Rice,  Catherine 74. ..40  Shepard  Ave., 

Brooklyn. 

Rosenstein,  Sophia 21. ..127  1st  Ave. 

Rosenagel,  Annie 38.. .129  E.  4th  St. 

Reichter,  Lena 25. ..104  1st  Ave. 

Relchter,  Tina 11. ..104  1st  Ave. 

Reichter,  Lizzie 12.. .104 1st  Ave. 

Reichter,  Fred 10.. .104  1st  Ave. 

Rheinfrank,  John 75...S43  W.  71st  St. 

Rheinfrank,  Catherina..64...343  W.  71st  St. 

Ringer,  Clara 37...170  Ave.  A. 

Ringer,  Alfred 12...170  Ave.  A. 

Rammelkamp,  Augusta  44...130  E.  4th  St. 

Rammelkamp,  Stella 18...130  E.  4th  St. 

Ricter,  Amelia 47...404  E.  6th  St. 

Ricter,  Amelia 20.. .404  E.  6th  St. 

Ricter,  Lizzie 19...404  E.  6th  St. 

Ricter,  Annie 8...404E.  6th  St. 

Ricter,  Ernest 12.. .404  E.  6th  St. 

Ricter,  August 14. ..404  E.  6th  St. 

Rothenberger,  Annie 19.. .368  Bowery. 

Roberts,  Clara 38.. .198  Guernsey  St., 

Brooklyn. 
Roberts,  Blanche 13...i98  Guernsey  St., 

Brooklyn. 

Ruthinger,  Meta 39. ..47  St.  Mark's  PI. 

Ruthinger,  Ernest 16.. .47  St.  Mark's  PI. 

Roeth,  Helen 20.. .310  E.  Broadway. 

Ramus,  Frederick 60.. .420 17th  St. 

Ramus,  Irving 11. ..420  E.  17th  St. 

Roth,  Josephine 42. ..203  E.5th  St. 

Roth,  Caroline 17...203  E.  5th  St. 

Rakowski,  Manda 10...337  E.  5th  St. 

Roese,  Adelin 37. ..Sumner    Ave.  & 

McDonagh  St.,  Brooklyn. 
Rothman,  Emily 34...48>£  7th  St. 


Name.  Age.  Residence. 

Rothman,  Thomas  F 8. ..48%  7th  St. 

Rothman,  William 5...48>£  7th  St. 

Richter,  Lena 34... 104 1st  Ave. 

Richter,  Lydia 12.. .104  1st  Ave. 

Richter,  Christina 9...104  1st  Ave. 

Reiss,  Rose 16.. .70  1st  Ave. 

Reiss,  Kate 33.. .70  1st  Ave. 

Reiss,  Lizzie 7.. .70  1st  Ave. 

Ramus,  Frederick 16...420  E.  17th  St. 

Reitz.Tessie 90  1st  Ave. 

Reichenbach.HermanH  2.. .241  Stockholm^, 
Brooklyn. 

Roth,  Josephine 52.. . 205  E.  5th  St. 

Roth,  Lena 17.. .203  E.  5th  St. 

Reuling,  Gertrude 22.. .422  2d  St. 

Schnude,  Henry  C 32...197    Gurnsey  St. 

Brooklyn. 
Schnude,  Mrs.  Henry. ...82.. .196    Gurnsey   St. 

Brooklyn. 
Schnude,  Grace 4. ..196   Gurnsey   St. 

Brooklyn. 
Schnude,  Mildred 2.. .109   Gurnsey   St. 

Brooklyn. 

Schuman,  Alfred 7.. .113  St.  Marks  PI. 

Sackman  Margaret 40...341  Rivington  St. 

Sackman,  Herman 7.. .341  Rivington  St. 

Schwartz,  Louisa 43...141  E.  3d  St. 

Schoenengut  Gottleben.64...118  E.  3d  St. 

Soerichs,  Lotie 36.. .425  E.  18th  St. 

Schuesler,  Sophie 62...338  6th  St. 

Stenger,  Frances 33.. .88  E.  3d  St. 

Stenger,  Rose 10...88  E.  3d  St. 

Shoefling,  Mary 85. ..189  3d  Ave. 

Siegel,  Sophia 24...54  7th  St. 

Schaler  Margarette 24...237  E.  10th  St. 

Schaier,  Julia 6  mo. ..237  E.  10th  St. 

Smith,  Mamie 13...361  E.  10th  St.. 

Schmidt,  Goettlieb 34...97E.  4th  St. 

Schmidt,  Bertha 10...97  E.  4th  St. 

Schmidt,  Emma 25. ..264  1st  Ave. 

Schmidt,  Erna 5  mo. ..264  1st  Ave. 

Spring,  Mrs.  Augusta. ...52. ..90  1st  Ave. 

Siercish,  Mrs 3S...425  E.  12th  St. 

Schumacher,  Katie 14...436  6th  St. 

Stoehr,  Sussie 30. ..340  E.  6th  St. 

Stoehr,  Henry 5...340  E.  6th  St. 

Schwartz,  Mrs.  Charles..45...144  E.  3d  St. 

Staeger,  Anna, 13.. .59  1st  Ave. 

Seller,  Catherine 73....107  E.  84th  St. 

Stick,  Lena 38...837  5th  St. 

Sutman,  Henrietta 23....104 1st  Ave. 

Stelz,  Bessie 18... 606  E.  15th  St. 

Smith,  Martha 28...316E.  18thSt. 

Sehoett,  Josephine 42....98  E.  7th  St. 

Schoett,  Christina 19- .98  E.  7th  St. 


LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE  GENERAL  SLOCUM. 


349 


iVd7/ic.  Age.  Residence. 

Schoett,  Carrie 10...98  E.  7th  St. 

Schoett,  Helen 5. ..98  E.  7th  St. 

Schmidt,  Sophia 36. ..290  E.  2d  St. 

Schmidt,  Freda 7. ..290  E.  2d  St. 

Schmidt,  Charles 5. ..290  E.  2d  St. 

Schneple,  Carrie 15. ..54  Ave.  A. 

Schneider,  Katie 8. ..822  Stanhope  St., 

Brooklyn. 

Slbelsky,  Kate 18. ..322  Freeman  St., 

Greenpoiut. 

Stone,  Mamie 48...114  E.  4th  St. 

Schuler,  Frederick 19. ..15  Stuyvesant  St. 

Schuler,  Charles 15.. .15  Stuyvesant  St. 

Schrumpf,  Lizzie 48...208  Ave.  B. 

Schrumpf,  John 16.. .208  Ave  B. 

Schrumpf,  William 1,1. .208  Ave.  B. 

Smith,  Eva 17..  149  E.  4th  St. 

Schmidt,  Emma 54. ..138  E.  7th  St. 

Smith,  Anna 25...920  E.  156th  St. 

Smith,  Mildred 2...920  E.  156th  St. 

Svoboda,  Francis 11...170  E.  4th  St. 

Svoboda,  Mamie 8.. .170  E.  4th  St. 

Schafer,  E.  Fannie 40.. .77  E.  Houston  St. 

Schnitzerling,  Eliza 86.-123  Ave.  A. 

Schmidt,  Catherine 67....418  E.  9th  St. 

Schmidt,  Kate 40.. .418  E.  9th  St. 

Schmidt,  Arthur 14. ..418  E.  9th  St. 

Schelken,  Elsue 8....331 5th  St. 

Schweikert,  Catherine....61....216  E.  11th  St. 

Sanders,  Helen 13...416E.  16th  St. 

Schruner,  Bertha 16....1401st  Ave. 

Schruner,  Lena 13....110  1st  Ave. 

Schruner,  Willie 9....140  1st  Ave. 

Smith,  Sophia 15....341  E.  25th  St. 

Schneider,  Tessie 14....90  1st  Ave.. 

Schmidling.  Millie 22.. .119  E.  Hh  St. 

Schmidling,  George 18...119  E.  7th  St. 

Schmidling,  Annie 15... 119  E.  7th  St. 

Suden,  Margaret 30.. .61  Jackson  St. 

Suden,  Herman  4. ..61  Jackson  St. 

Schultz,  Dora 38.. .112  E.  4th  St. 

Schultz,  Rudolph 14. ..112  E.  4th  St. 

Schultz,  Henry  G 11.112  E.  4th  St. 

Sclinitzler,  Christina 28...10Gouveneur  PI. 

Schnitzler,  Kate 5...10Gouveneur  PI. 

Seiferth,  Henry 32...215  W.  23d  St. 

Schneider,  Eva 42...320  E.  6th  St. 

Schneider,  Eva 11. ..326  E.  6th  St. 

Stubrauch,  Annie 19. ..303  6th  St. 

Strickroth,  Annie 45.. .146  Essex  St. 

Strickroth,  Charles 14. ..146  Essex  St. 

Strickroth,  Elsie 9...  146  Essex  St. 

Strickroth,  Louis 5... 146  Essex  St. 

Smith,  Margaret 14. ..383  Monroe  St. 

Selgwart,  Phoebe 16. ..225  E.  5th  St.. 

Seigwart,  Carrie 9.. .225  E.  5th  St. 


Name.  Aye.  Residence. 

Steckman,  Augusta 61...22S  E.  5th  St. 

Steckman,  Annie 21. ..225  E.  5th  St. 

Steckman,    Hulrta 17. .225  E.  5th  St. 

Steckman,  Augusta 15...22S  E.  5th  St. 

Steckman,  Louisa 10.. .225  K.  5th  St. 

Schnude,  William 61. ..426  E.  17th  St. 

Schnude,  Louise 58...428E.  17th  St. 

Shiettinger,  Dora 18.. .734  E.  149th  St. 

Shlettinger,  Freda 16. ..734  E.  149th  St. 

Schultz,  Emma 10...  130  E.  Fourth  St. 

Schick,  Minnie 21...430E.  15th  St. 

Smith,  Annie 3. ..801  E.  117th  St. 

Schelke,  Elsie 8. ..331  E.  5th  St. 

Steil,  Adelaide 15. ..Boston  Rd.,  Br'x. 

Seelig,  Anna —...Dundee  Lk.,  N.  J. 

Schreiner,  Annie 6. ..140  1st  Ave. 

Schneider,  Dora 32...322  Stanhope  St. 

Schultz,  Dora 7. ..112  4th  St. 

Schuman,  Albert —...100  E.  8th  St. 

Stiehl,  Llllie 16.. .55 1st  Ave. 

Stoss,  Edna 10.. .316  2d  Ave. 

Stoss,  Minnie 43. ..316  2d  Ave. 

Tetamore,  Sophia 26. ..1471  Bushwick 

Ave.,  Brooklyn. 

Treblng,  Mary 6....223  E.  5th  St. 

Trimm,  Mary 36....211  E.  5th  St. 

Trimm,  Hedwig 11  ,,,,211  E.  5th  St. 

Trimm,  Henrietta 9....211  E.  5th  St. 

Trimm,  George 11....211  E.  5th  St. 

Turnipot,  Freda 27„..198  Guernsey  St., 

Brooklyn. 
Turnipot,  Frances  A 4. ...198  Guernsey  St., 

Brooklyn. 
Turnipot,  Charlotte 1J4-198  Guernsey  St., 

Brooklyn. 
Thorn  Suden,  Marga  te..30....68  Jackson  St. 
Thorn  Suden,  Herman....  4. ..68  Jackson  St. 

Troell,  Albert 18.. .405  E.  5th  St. 

Tetamore,  Mrs.  M 30.. .1471  Bushwick 

Ave.,  Brooklyn. 

Thormalen,  Mrs 42...100  E.  2d  St. 

Thormalen,  Flart 7....100  E.2dSt. 

Thormalen,  Tillie 3....100  E.  2d  St. 

Unger,  Kate 54....99  Ave.  A. 

Ullman,  Lena 39....409  E.  5th  St. 

lllman,  William 14....409  E.  5th  St. 

Uhlendorf,  Selma 45....93  3d  Ave. 

Uhleudorf,  Louise 8....93  3d  Ave. 

Uehlin,  Minnie 43....4165th  St. 

Uehlein,  Otto 19....416  5th  St. 

Ulrich,  Julia 15....58  Wlllett  St. 

Vassar,  John 11—88  5th  St. 

Vaeth,  Wm 9....107  E.  4th  SU 


350 


LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE  GENERAL  SLOCUM. 


Name.  Age.  Residence. 

Vetter,  Mary 45....31  Beekman  St. 

Vetter,  Mamie 20....730  6th  St. 

Vickhoff,  Wm 25....196  2d  Ave. 

Volkhart,  Lizzie 42....4B9  5th  St. 

Voilmer,  Mary  M 7....123 1st  Ave. 

Veit,  Lena 26....151   E.   9th   St., 

College  Point. 
Veit,  Rosa 15  mo 151   E.    9th  St., 

College  Point. 
Van  Duser,  Matilda 13....171  E.  4th  Si. 

Westo,    Lethis 14... 394  E.  5th  St. 

Workman   Jennie, 21. ..116  Lake  St.,  J.  C. 

Webber,  Emily 10...404  E.  5th  St. 

Wertenberger,  Marg'r"t,22...55  1st  Ave. 

Wertenberger,  Lillie, 2. ..55  1st  Ave. 

Weideman,  Caroline, 50. ..79  E.  Houston  St. 

Weideman,  Catharine,...30...79  E.  Houston  St. 

Wallace,  Rose, 11. ..214  E.  11th  St, 

Weiss,  Caroline, 50...216  E.  11th  St. 

Weiss,  Emily,..   ..  12...216  E.  11th  Si. 

Weaver,  Carrie, 9. ..301  E.  9th  St. 

Weaver,  Fred, 36...8M  E.  9th  St. 

Weaver,  Mamie, 7. .. 304  E.  9th  St. 

Weaver,  Ester 5. .. 804  E.  9th  St. 

Weaver,  Helen, 5.. .304  E.  9th  St. 

Whitman   Anna, 60.. .127 1st  Ave. 

Ward,  Walter  E 27. ..Fort  Lee,  N.  J. 

Wernz,  Anna, 21. ..426  E.  6th  St. 

Wunner,  Caroline, 46. ..524  6th  St. 

Wunner,  Lillian 10..  524  6th  St. 

Wiereiter,  Marie, >J3...626  E.  12th  St. 

Walter,  Lizzie, 03.. .336  E.  6th  St. 

Wermstich,  Albert, 39...413  E.  5th  St. 


Xame.  Age.  Residence. 

Wermstich,  Barbara, 37. ..413  E.  5th  St. 

Wermstich,  Albert, 5...413E.5th  St. 

Weis,  Louis, 21...5?2  E.  5th  St. 

Weis,  Tillie 44.. .522  E.  5th  St. 

Weis,  Fred., 18...522  E.  5th  St. 

Weis,  John,  Jr.,  5  mo.. ..522  E.  5th  St 

Weis,  Amelia, 9. ..583  E.  5th  St. 

Weis,  Salome, 14.. .533  E.  5th  St. 

Weis,  Jacob, 10...533  E.  5th  St. 

Wolt,  Freda, 20  mo...283  Himrod  St. 

Brooklyn. 

Weingarth,  Ethel 6. ..409  E.  5th  St. 

Wolf,  Lena 64. ..1131  40thSt.Blkyn 

Woolmar,  Catherine 56. ..2425  Jerome  Ave. 

Woolmar,  Louise 22. ..2425  Jerome  Ave. 

Werner,  Lena 11. ..800  E.  14th  St. 

Wens,  Louisa 39. ..421  E.  5th 4t. 

Wenz,  George 11. ..421  E.  5th  St, 

Wenz,  Louisa 9. .. 421  E.  5th  St. 

Zundek,  Chas 8.. .104  1st  Ave. 

Zanch,  Mar5- 28...1518  Webster  Ave. 

Zanch  Dora 60.. .1518  Webster  Ave. 

Zimmerman,  Augusta. ..15  ..196  2nd  Ave, 

Zimmerman,  Hugo 12.. .196  2nd  Ave. 

Zetter,  Mary.. 49. ..31  Beekman  PI. 

Zipsie,  Mary 17...339  E.  21st  St. 

Ripsie,  Louise 11. ..339  E.  21st  St.. 

Zipsie,  Albert 9. ..339  E.  21st  St. 

Zipsie,  Ellen 4. ..339  E.  21st  St. 

Zahn,  Bertha 22.. .69  1st  Ave. 

Zing,  Eugene 10...114  E.  4th  St. 

Zidler,  Anna 23. ..27  Stanton  St 

Zidler,  Ruby 2....27  Stanton  St. 


UNINJURED. 


Name.  Age.  Residence. 

Alt,  Harry 13...Astor  Library. 

Armand  Staella 8. .. 334  E.  6th  St. 

Ambrust,  Florrie 9. ..106  E.  4th  St. 

Ambrust,  Mamie 12. ..166  E.  4th  St. 

Abesser,  Emma 10... 128  E.  4th  St. 

Abesser,  Katie 8... 128  E.  4th  St. 

Amann,  Harry 18. ..77  Third  Ave. 

Albrecht,  Martha 9. ..201  E.  10th  St. 

Behrens,  Fritz 7...22  St.  Mark's  PI. 

Brunning,  Grace  M 14. ..215  E.  12th  St. 

Bose,  Henry 14. ..135  Ave.  A. 

Berhens,  Fred 8...134  E.  28th  St. 

Broun,  Peter 12...233  5th  St. 

Bushong,  Henrietta 24. ..1028  Hudson    St., 

Hoboken,  N.  J. 
Behrendt,  Annie 13...88  E.  3d  St. 


Name.  Age.  Residence. 

Baumle,  Fred 11. ..433  E.  6th  St. 

Bertraud,  Arthur 13. ..730  6th  St. 

Burchbaum,  Mrs,  L 30.. .1028    Hudson  St., 

Hoboken,  N.  J. 
Borst,  Lucy 15.. .15 2d  Ave. 

Collins,  Thomas 25. ..303  Van  Brunt  St. 

Brooklyn. 

Conkling.  Frank 39...Catskill,  N.  V, 

Cabilaskiwiz,  Mary 19. ..100  E.  4th  St. 

Doering,  Edna 6. ..12  State  St. 

Dangler,  Hattie 29...123  E.  7th  St, 

Drews,  Henry 81. ..54  E.  4th  St. 

DeLuccia, 31. ..54  E.  7th  St. 

DeLuccia,  Rose 12. ..54  E.  7th  St. 


LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE  GENERAL  SLOCIWI. 


851 


Name.                        Age.         Residence. 
Engelmann,  Edna S...425  E.  12th  st. 

Kell,  Mr 87...9B  1st  St. 

Bell,  John  L 14...981stSt 

Kell,  Paul 18...99  1st  .St. 

Elwanger,  Lulu 12...778d  Ave. 

Elllg,  Conrad 8...4S8  5th  St 

Krklin,  ulto,  Mrs 80...  1030   Hudson    St., 

Hobokeu,  N.  I. 
Erkllu,  Gerirnde S...1030  Hudson   si., 

Hoboken,  N.  J. 
Erklln,  Stephen  ...7  weeks...l030  Hudson  St., 

Hobokeu,  N.  J. 
Everett,  Brandon 15.  .Catsklll,  N.  V. 

Plckbohm,  Fred '.)... id  Ave.  D. 

Felske,  Hatl  le 12. ..211  E.  5th  St. 

Pllakow,  Tony 44...170  E.  4th  St. 

Filskow,  Meta 20...170 E. 4th St. 

Frese,  Albert 16.. .426  E.  loth  St. 

Pulling,  Matilda 28...  110  W.  120th St. 

Fulling,  Edmund 1  ...110  W.  128th  St. 

Flugernagle,  Katie 12. ..439  E.  Gtb  St. 

Felmeden,  I-  red 45...80  First  Ave. 

Ferueiseu,  Emma .33... 10  E.  7th  St. 

Ferueisen,  Henry  G 10...40 E. 7th St. 

Fernelseu,  William  F 8.. .40  E.  7th  St. 

Fernelsen,  Marie 7. ..40  E.  7th  St. 

Gambllcher,  Harry 13....404  E.  5th  St. 

Giesler,  William 16—201  Ave.  A. 

Gallagher,  Katie 11—424  E.  15th  St. 

Gray,  George 18— SOS  E.  14th  St. 

Greenwald,  Albert 13....S26  E.  14th  St. 

Gibbons,  Thomas 12....225  E.  5th  St. 

Gibbons,  Mary 40....225  E.  5th  St. 

Gibbons,  Mary 15....225  E.  5th  St. 

Gibbons,  Frank 9....225  E.  5th  St, 

Gibbons,  Thomas  Jr 7—225  E.  5th  St. 

Gibbons,  Catherine 4....225  E.  5th  St. 

Gross,  Freda 21....90  First  Ave. 

Gross,  George 13....90  First  Ave. 

Gross,  Burt 11. ...00  First  Ave. 

Graling,  Louise 16.... N alley  Ave.,  N.J. 

Gringel,  Kate 82.. .439  5th  St. 

Galling,  Louise 17....30   Hudson  St., 

Hoboken,  N.  J. 

Gaffga,  Edward  J 20....72   Howard  Ave., 

Brooklyn. 
Grave,  Annie 45.. .54  7th  St. 

Hauser,  William 49....317  Bowery. 

Hecken,  Lucy,  Jr 15....169  8.  2d.St.Bklyn 

Hartung,  Harry 16....342  E.  21st. 

Herboldt,  Annie 75....107  W.  103d  St. 

Holder,  Marie 43....169  Ave.  A. 

Hauff,  Agnes 11....41  Ave.  A. 


Name.  Age. 

Hener,  Adolph 14- 

Hardekopf,  Henry 15.. 

Ilensler,  Jacob 9.. 

ileckert,  Eva ';2.. 

Heckert,  Julia 8  mo.. 

Heckert.  Annie 11.. 

Heckert,  Maggie 9.. 

Heckert,  Cecelia (J.. 

Haag,  Aranka 20.. 

HoiTman,  Fred 21.. 

Helns,  Bertlia 46.. 

Heins,  George ,.15.. 

Heins,  Theo 15.. 

Hencken,  Lucy 15... 

Hot/,  William 8.. 

Hotz,  Fred 37.. 

Hecken,  Lucy 15.. 

Heil,  Andrew 41.. 

Hartman,  Clara 11.. 

Hartung,  Minnie 24.. 

Holthusen,  John 58.. 

Holthusen,  Clara 25.. 

Hayden,  Wilhelmina 28.. 


Residence. 

.12!)  Division  St. 
.848  Rlvlngton  St. 
.151  First  Ave. 
.88 Ave.  a. 

.8S  Ave.  A. 
.88  Ave.  A. 

.88  Ave.  A. 

.88  Ave.  A. 

.158  Fi   st  Ave. 

.78  2d  St 

.897  E.  lth  St. 

.397  E.  4th  St. 

.397  E.  4th  St. 

106  s.  second  St., 

Brooklyn. 
.319  E.  5th  St. 
.319  E.  5th  St. 
.395  E.  4th  St. 
.55  First  Ave. 
.808  E.  11th  St. 
.342  E.  21st  St. 
.138  Second  Ave. 
.138  Second  Ave. 
.138 Second  Ave. 


Iden.Flenry  A 19...100  4th  St. 

Ideu,  Anna 12.. .100  4th  St. 


Karle,  Emelia 12. 

Kaufman,  Mildred 2. 

K render,  Marie 28. 

Kreuder,  Anna 18. 

Klinck,  John 12. 

Kiesel,  Anna 25. 

Kiesel.Theo 27. 

Kuneth,  Margaret 15. 

Kassebaum,  Henry 53. 


Kelsch,  Maggie 82. 

Kelsch,  Elizabeth 8 

Klennan,  Edmund 1 

Kiesel,  Edward 28. 

Klein,  Tina 21 

Kolb,  Albert 22 

Krekler,  Dora 11 

Krekler,  Lizzie 2. 

Kiefer,  Louis 19. 

Kneuster,  William 12. 

'  Koster,  Charles 16. 

Klingert.Tessie 7. 

Kelsch,  George 85. 

Kastner,  Paul IS. 

Krause,  Sadie 17. 

Kaufman,  Mildred 2. 

Keller,  Frank 14. 


..56  7th  St. 
,.425  K.  12th  St. 
.451  West  End  Ave. 
..62  West  97th  St. 
.11.;  st.  Mark's  PI. 
..266  Ave.  A. 
..266  Ave.  A. 
.406  5th  St. 
..28  Enfield  St., 

Brooklyn. 
..800 E.  14th  St. 
..800  E.  14th  St. 
.110  W.  120th  St 
..268  Ave.  A. 
. .31  Ave.  A. 
..743  E.  201st  St. 
.257  Ave.  B. 
.257  Ave.  B. 
.1582 2d  Ave. 
.615  St.  Mark's  PL 
.343  Rlvlngton  Bt 

.431  E.  15th  St. 
.800  E.  14th  St. 
.110 1st  Ave. 
.1581st  Ave. 

.121  1st  Ave. 
.  115  Ave.  A. 


352 


LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE  GENERAL  SLOCUM. 


Name.  Age.  Residence. 

Kircher,  Fred 9. ..185  Russell  St., 

Brooklyn. 

Klingert,  Tessie 7. ..331  E.  16th  St. 

Klein,  Salome 11. ..191  E.  3d  St. 

Krause,  Sadie 17. ..201  W.  111th  St. 

Lyman,  Samuel 8. ..72  Ave.  B. 

Luderer,  Otto 13... 313  E.  14th  St. 

Ludwig,  Fred 11. ..413  E.  17th  St. 

Languth,  Martha 11. ..29  Cooper  Square. 

Languth,  Louisa 9. ..29  Cooper  Square. 

Lamm,  Geo 11. ..645  E.  17th  St. 

Ludemann,  Fred 17...N-4  Smith  St.,. 

White  Plains. 

Ludeman,  John 16...N-4  Smith  St., 

White  Plains. 

Leimberger,  Carrie 30.. .51  St.  Mark's  PI. 

Leimberger,  Lena 2. ..51  St.  Mark's  PI. 

Link,  Arthur 14. ..76  Ave.  A. 

Lindemann,  William 10...110  Lynch  St., 

Brooklyn. 
Libbert,  Harris 46. ..412  6th  St. 

Meirs,  John 9. ..154  Hobart  Ave., 

Bayonne,  N.  J. 

Maurer,  Minnie 14...626  E.  12th  St. 

Miller,  Fred 26.. .28  W.97th  St. 

Muller,  Geo 40...41 1st  Ave. 

Muller,  Ernest 7. ..41  1st  Ave. 

Matzerath,  Edward 13... 330  E.  6th  St 

Moller,  Fred 35...998  Ave.  A. 

Mettler,  Geo 2.. .333  E.  5th  St. 

Moller,  Grover 12. ..95  2d  Ave. 

Moller,  Walter 9.. .95  2d  Ave. 

Meinhardt,  Otto 8... 146  E.  4th  St. 

Mueller,  Louis 11. ..100  St.  Mark's  PI. 

Mueller,  Herman 9.. .100  St.  Mark's  PI. 

Mueller,  Minnie 7.. .100  St.  Mark's  PI- 

Mammelkampf,  Gustav  6. ..130  E.  4th  St. 

Marshall,  Geo 16. ..127 1st  Ave. 

Motzer,  Louisa 9. ..405  6th  St. 

Muth,  Conrad 10. ..1254  Lex  Ave. 

Muth,  John 3...  1254  Lex  Ave, 

Mardoj,  Annie 20...43E.  2d  St. 

McCarthy,  John 11...134  Hobart  St., 

Bayonne,  N.  J. 

Olsen,  Clara 17...110  W   129th  St. 

O'Neil,  Daniel 24...14o  Cherry  St. 

Ohl,  Elizabeth 36.. .340  E.  9th  St. 

Polnish,  Paul 12...320  E.  5th  St. 

Podzuweit,  Gus 26. ..682    Warren    St., 

Brooklyn. 

Prawdski,  Frank 12.. .85  E.  3d  St. 

Potar,  Joe 17.. .17  Humboldt  St., 

Brooklyn, 


Name.  Age.  Residence. 

Poter,  Louis 2S...75  E.  4th  St. 

Port,  Wilhelmina 47.. .88  E.  4th  St. 

Plintin,  James 22...111  W.26th  St. 

Roes,  John 9. ..222     McDonough 

St.,  Brooklyn. 

Raicbenbach,  Lena 23. ..241       Stockholm 

St.,  Brooklyn. 

Ruthlnger,  Elsie 15...47  St.  Mark's  PI. 

Ruthinger,  Fred 10.  .47  St.  Mark's  PI. 

Rosenagle,  Lucy 13... 129  E.  4th  St. 

Rosenagle,  Grace 14. ..129  E.  4th  St. 

Rumps,  Annie 34. ..342  E.  9th  St. 

Reuffer,  Arthur  F 14. ..109  First  Ave. 

Sirichs,  Charles 13...425  E.  12th  St. 

Schmidt,  William 13.. .5  Cooper  Sq. 

Schutte,  Annie 40.. .41  First  Ave. 

Schiher,  Henry 11. ..41  First  Ave. 

Strikroph  Henry 16.. .146  Essex  St. 

Schintzerling,  Fred 5.. .123  Ave.  A. 

Steckman,  Herman 7.. .225  E.  5th  St. 

Sackman,  Anna 14. ..341  Rivington  St. 

Schumann,  Emma 1...113  St.  Mark's  PI. 

Sobilinski,  Mary 20...100  E.  4th  St. 

Schultz,  Pauline 43.. .130  E.  4th  St. 

Schneider,  Fred 12...512  6th  St. 

Strieker,  Clara 23...815  E.  9tb  St. 

Strieker,  Martha 4. ..315  E.  9th  St. 

Schrimer,  Wilhelme 45...140  First  Ave. 

Schriner,  Minnie 18. ..140  First  Ave. 

Schneider,  August 34. ..322  Stanhope  St. 

Brooklyn. 

Schneider,  Augusta 3. ..322  Stanhope  St., 

Brooklyn. 
Smith,  Owen 14. ..30    Hudson,    St., 

Hoboken,  N.  J. 
Smith,  Harry 10...30     Hudson     St., 

Hoboken,  N.  J. 
Smith,  Hartley 7.. .30     Hudson     St., 

Hoboken,  N.  J. 

Schaefer,  Augusta 36...322E.  18th  St. 

Schaefer,  Jos 36.. .322  E.  13th  St. 

Schmidt,  Gotlieb 40...97  E.  4th  St. 

Schmidt,  Louisa 4. ..69  First  Ave. 

Smith,  James 8.. .30     Hudson    St., 

Hoboken,  N.  J. 
Smith,  August 5...30     Hudson     St., 

Hoboken,  N.  J. 
Smith,  Henry 38.. .30    Hudson     St. 

Hoboken,  N.  J. 

Schoefling,  Edna 10.. .189  Third  Ave. 

Schnaff,  Fred ..15...645E.  17th  St. 


LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  TIIF   GENERAL   SLOCUlvI. 


353 


Namr. 

Tisehler,  .John 

'I  nriitr,  .\1  ra.  llur\  ej 
Trebling,  William 

ITehlain,  Fddie 


Residence, 
..l-i.. .401  E.  5th  St. 
.28. .26498th  a  ve. 
..12...228  E.  5th  st. 

.17. .416  E.  5th  st. 


Voll  berg,  Bosch. 

\  titer,  Fred 


i  K.  6th  St. 

It;  .  N.     4    Sinltii    St.,      Uutil 
White  Plains. 


Xame.  Age, 

Weiss,  Geo 15.. 

Wolff,  Mamie 26.. 

Wels,*atle 24.. 

W  els,   Harry 12... 

Wendelkeu,  Lena 80.. 

Wemlelken,  lilebard ».. 

Wahl,  Hermlnla 4.. 

UedwlR 11.. 


I  nice. 
i  hlrd  Ave. 
'221  E.  88th  St. 
532  5th  st. 
6825tfa  st. 
,200  K.  lutb  St. 
208  B.  10th  St. 
1 87  Second  Aue, 
l:-T7  Second  Ave. 


Weaver,  Edward 50...i2thSt.Troy,N.  Y. 

Wurmstltch, 'Arthur 18...413  E.  5th  St. 

Wull,  .Julius.- 30.. .283    Hiinrod   St., 

Brooklyn. 


Zipeer,  William 16... 

Zausch,  Katie 25... 

Zausch,  Mary 4... 

Zundel,  Annie 82... 

Zlpsie,  William 15... 


885  E.  21st  St. 
1518  Webster  Ave. 
1518  Webster  Ave. 
104  Eirst  Ave. 
889  E.  21st  St. 


INJURED. 


Name.  Age.  Residence. 

Armond,  Annie 27...334  6th  St. 

Anger,  Katie 18.. .1365  3d  Ave. 

Anger,  Charles  P 29...367  E.  62d  St. 

Addlcks,  Ernest 6. ..49  Ave.  A. 

Albrecht,  Joseph 52. ..201  E.  10th  St. 

Addlcks,  Annie 8. ..49  Ave  A. 


Boengardt,  Albin. 
Balzer,  Nicholas.. 

Bose,  Anna 

Hock,  Louisa 


Balser,  Mary 57. 

Bensh,  Lulu 12. 

Behrendt,  Maria 42. 

Bopp,  Dora 66. 

Bohmer,  Anna 59. 

Bobmer,  Emlle 18.. 

Broswald,  Matilda 20. 

Becker,  Amelia 26. 

Becker,  Clara 20.. 

Breeden,  Ellen 16.. 

Becker,  Mary 23. 

Becker, 20.. 


..822  E.  13th  St. 
..422  E.sth  St. 
..185  Ave.  A. 
...Marcy  Ave., 

Brooklyn. 
..187  Ave.  B. 
..4U1  5th  st. 
..88  I-:,  -id  St. 
..74  1st  Ave. 
..:;(*;  E.  DSd  st. 
.806  E.  83d  st. 
..26!)  Monroe  St. 
..1157  Lex'gtou  av. 
.1157  Lex'gton  av. 
.383 11th  St.  Br' k'n. 
.1010  E.  178th  St. 
.1010  E.  178th  St. 


Canfield,  Henry  .. 
Cordes,  Charles  E 


17. .421  10th  Ave. 

18.. .417  E.  16th  St. 


Dorhofler,  Barbara 42 

Dorhoiler,  Mamie 9. 

Dangler,  Harry 6. 

Diehl,  Josephine 11 

Dearing,  Edna 5. 

Delvinthal,  Sophie 19. 

Dornhofer,  Margaret  -...42. 
Dader,  Eliza 46. 

N.Y.  23 


121  Ave.  A. 

121  Ave.  A. 
.123  7th  St. 
.209  E.  5th  St. 
.12  State  St. 
J81  Madison  St. 
.121  Ave.  A. 
.174  N.  V.  Ave., 
Jersey  City. 


Xame. 


Age. 


Reetdemee, 


;  Delvinthal,  Mattie 45...381  Madison  St. 

Dietz,  Rosie 15. ..438  6th  St. 


Erkliu,  Stephen 7  wk...l030   Hudson  St., 

Hoboken,  N.  J. 

Engel,  Lulu 21...859  W.  47th  St. 

Erklin,  Anna 32.. .1028   Hudson   St., 

Hoboken,  N,  J. 

Ellig,  Mary  40. ..433  5th  St. 

Ell,  William 9.. .99  1st  St. 


Flanagan,  Edward 26. 

lickbohm,  bred 9. 

Ereck,  William 11. 

Ereese,  Ferdinand 50. 


Freese,  Annie. 


1".. 


Freese,  Meta 44. 

Koike,  Ludwig 41.. 

Freese,  Meta 48.. 

Geisler,  Lina 43.. 

Growe,  Anna 54.. 

Greismann,  Christine 47. 

Greenhagen,  Ernest 14. 

Gassman,  Mrs.  Mlchael..44.. 

Hubold,  Margaret- 76.. 

Hartung,  Minnie 24.. 

Hannerman,  Susie .54.. 

Haas,  George  C.  E 50.. 

Haas,  Emma 30.. 

Hannerman,  Caroline. ..56.. 

Heyrish,  Bennie 12.. 

Hephman,  Maurice 38.. 

Hedekamp,  Margaret.. ..50. 


.445  W.  28th  St. 
.91  Ave.  D. 
.409  E.  5th  St. 
.Mangln  and 

Houston  sts. 
.Mangln  and 

Houston  Sts. 
.509 E.Houston  St. 
.257  Ave.  B. 
426  E.  15th  St. 

.201  Ave.  A. 
.54  E.  7th  St. 

..114  E.  4th  St. 
..176  Lewis  St. 
..128  E.  4th  St. 

.416  E.  5th  St. 

.342  E.  21st  St. 
.439  E.  5th  St. 
.64  E.  7th  St. 
.64  E.  7th  St. 
.439  5th  St. 
.424  E.  16th  St 
..640  6th  St. 
.805  6th  St. 


354 


LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE   GENERAL  SLOCUM. 


Name.  Age.  Residence. 

Heckert,  Eva 32.. .88  Ave.  A. 

Heinz,  George 17. ..1)7  Ave.  A. 

Heinz,  Henry 12.. .97  Ave.  A. 

Heil,  George 13.. .Boston  Rd.  &  Pel- 
ham  Parkway, 
Bronx. 

Jorden,  Catherine 20...87  8d  Ave. 

Jordan,  Pauline 15.. .87  3d  Ave. 

Joseph,  Margurite 32.. .45  3d  Ave. 

Kreuder,  Lena 28...62  W.97th  St. 

Kauffman,  Julia 18...425  E.  12th  St. 

Keisel,  Edward 3. ..266  Ave.  A. 

Kipp,  Anna 17...1894  3d  Ave. 

Klein,  Edie  H 15...31  Ave.  A. 

Klein,  Elsie 16.. .31  Ave.  A. 

Klein,  Lucy 4. ..31  Ave  A. 

Klein,  Annie 22...331  E.  16th  St. 

Klein,  Harry 17...399    Miller   Ave., 

Brooklyn. 

Kircher,  Lizzie S7...185RusselSt.,  Bk. 

Kircher,  George 13...185RusselSt.,Bk. 

Kircher,  Stacey 7...185RusselSt.,  Bk. 

Klein,  Annie 22...431  E.  15th  St. 

Kauffman,  Julia 21. ..121 1st  Ave. 

Kubera,  William 15...375  E.  4th  St. 

Kiesel,  Edward 3.. .266  Ave.  A. 

Kassebaum,  Nettie 80.. .196  Guernsey  St., 

Brooklyn. 
Kassebaum,  Catherine...52... 196  Guernsey  St., 

Brooklyn. 

Kaffenberger,  Katie 14. ..436  6th  St. 

Kneustner,  Mary 46. ..65  St.  Mark's  PI. 

Kneustner,  Charles 17.. .65  St.  Mark's  PI. 

Klein,  Hannah 32...444  E.  15th  St. 

Klingert,  Tessie 7. ..444  E.  15th  St. 

Klennan,  Matilda 29. ..110  W.  129th  St. 

Laubeck,  Albertina 33...427  E.  9tb  St. 

Laubeck,  Herman 14...427  E.  9th  St. 

Laubeck,  Dora 11. ..427  E.  9th  St. 

Lemp,  Charles 12.. .108  2d  Ave. 

Lemp,  Augusta 10. ..108 2d  Ave. 

Lutz,  Lusta 16...Lamerst,  N.  J. 

Lutgens,  August,  Jr., 16.. .101     Clymer    St., 

Brooklyn. 

Lutz,  Gustav 16. ..140  2d  Ave. 

Ludeman,  Hannah 19.. .4  Smith  St., 

White  Plains. 
Lutgen,  August 46. ..101    Clymer    St.. 

Brooklyn. 

Liebenow,  Paul 33...133  E.  125th  St. 

Liebenow,  Annie 33...133  E.  125th  St. 

Licome,  Fred 52...83E.  7tb  St. 


Name.  Age.  Residence. 

Metier.  Kate 32.. .338  E.  5th  St. 

Mettler,  William 4. .. 838  E.  5th  St. 

Moller,  Arthur 6. ..95  2d  Ave. 

Maurer,  Margaret 47.. .421  E.9th  St. 


Muth,  John 87. 

Masterson,  William 18. 

Mundle,  Agnes Go. 

Mahlstadt,  Annie  R 32. 

Miller,  Simon 71. 


.1254  Lex'ton  Ave. 
.62  3d  Ave. 
.11  7th  St. 
.629  E.  146th  St. 
Ill  Norfolk  St. 


Oellich,  Henry 11. ..611  Marcey  Ave., 

Brooklyn. 

Osmers,  Mary 56...402  E.  88rd  St. 

Osmers,  Otto 17...402  E.  83rd  St. 

Pullman,  Elsie 45.. .837  E.  18th  St. 

Potar,  Joseph 17.. .17  Humboldt  St., 

Brooklyn. 

Perdelitz,  Alvina 44...89  E.  10th  St. 

Perdelitz,  Carl 15.. .89  E.  10th  St. 

Prawdzikei,  Mary 30...85  E.  3rd  St. 

Roth,  Louisa 16...1235  3rd  Are. 

Rehand,  Kate 47.. .121  Ave.  A. 

Rubenklau,  Freda 23  ElnerrtSt.,Bkn 

Rau,  Wilhelmina 52.. .52  7th  St. 

Reina,  Kate 47.. .121  Ave.  A. 


Schwartz,  Amelia 19, 

Schwartz,  Charles  M 18, 

Schwartz,  Anton 16, 

Schwartz,  Lewis 10, 

Schnitzerling,  Annie 10. 

Schultz,  Pauline 43. 

Smith,  Flora 39. 

Strickhold,  Henry 16. 

Schmidt,  Julia 13. 

Schmidt,  Francis 14. 

Schick,  Henry 3. 

Schultz,  Susan 18. 

Smith,  Philipine 27. 

Schmidt,  Fred 9. 

Stuve,  Margaret 65.. 

Schumann,  Mary 80. 

Schrimer,  William 44., 

Sauer,  William 14. 

Strangfeld,  Christiana  ...46. 

Strangfeld,  Augusta 12., 

Schepp,  Mary 15. 

Steil,  George  C 12.. 


St., 
J. 


..141  E.  3rd  St. 
..141  E.  3rd  St. 
..141  E.  3rd  St. 
..141  E.  3rd  St. 
..123  Ave.  A. 
..130  E.  9th  St. 
..1028  Hudson 
Hoboken,  N. 
.144  Essex  St. 
.69  First  Ave. 
.69  First  Ave. 
.430  E.  15th  St. 
..414  E.  9th  St. 
.149  E.  4th  St. 
.138  7th  St. 
.49  Ave.  A. 
.113  St.  Mark's  PI. 
.140  First  Ave. 
.142  E.  2nd  St. 
.1049  Park  Ave. 
.1349  Park  Ave. 
.433  E.  17th  St. 
.Boston  Road  and 
Pel  ham  Ave. 


Trebing,  Margaret 41...223  E.  5th  St. 

Turner,  Julia 28.. .2649  8th  Ave. 


LIST  OF  VICTIMS   OF  THE   GENERAL  SLOCUM. 


35.5 


Name.                         Age,  R  rich  nee. 

Tamer,  Mary 6...26498th  Ave. 

Trobetz,  Edward IS.. .122  Sixth  St. 

Ulrlch,  Sophie 70... -11.;  \V.  list. 

Velt,  Kate 28.. .40o  K.  5th  St. 

Velt,  Km  ma  2. .. 405  K.  5th  St. 

Vassner,  William  16... 838 6th St. 

Yon  Schaick,  Win.  Capt.57... 300  8th  Ave. 

Wlerk,  Margaret 21.. .841  E.  65th  St. 

Wlerk,  Amelia 15.. .841  E.  55th  St. 

Wesler,  Lizzie 32...123  W.  106th  St. 

NVeher,  Annie 30...4O4  K.  5th  St. 


Name.  Aye.         Beeidenee. 

vVeber,  Frank .SI. ..404  K.  5th  St. 

Wyt/.ka,  Ida 11...  104  K.  5th  St. 

Wesler,  Lizzie 32.. .266  Ave.  A. 

Weiss,  Ida  M 42...  1285  8d  Ave. 

.Minnie I8...21858d  Ave. 

Weintraub,  Karl 19.. .170  Norfolk  St. 

Weiss,   Louis 8...6826th8t 

Walhein,  Kmily 13... 82  7th  St. 

Wolf,  Margaret SB.. .807 K.l5th  St., dead 

Weisser,  Karnestina 55.. .84  Stockholm  St., 

Brooklyn. 

Zoenegg.  Kertha 16.. .245 5th  St. 

Zlinmer,  Andrew 17...  18  K.  3d  St. 

Zlpsie,  Sophia 40...83B  K.  21st  St. 


SWEEPING  INDICTMENT  IN  THE  SLOCUM  CASE. 

In  order  that  all  those  who  could  in  any  way  be  held  responsible 
for  the  General  Slocum  disaster  might  be  brought  to  trial,  the 
Federal  grand  jurv,  on  July  29th,  returned  true  bills  against  Frank 
A.  Barnaby,  president  of  the  Knickerbocker  Steamboat  Company  ; 
E.  J.  Atkinson,  secretary  ;  W.  J.  Dexter,  treasurer;  Captain  William 
Pease,  commodore  of  the  company's  fleet  ;  Captain  William  H. 
Van  Schaick,  who  commanded  the  Slocum  ;  and  United  States 
Inspectors  Henry  Lundberg  and  W.J.  Flemming. 

An  effort  was  made  on  the  part  of  counsel  for  the  men  indicted 
to  have  Judge  Thomas,  to  whom  the  grand  jury  reported,  set  bail 
for  the  men  charged  with  responsibility  for  the  disaster,  but  this 
the  Judge  refused  to  do. 

Indictments  against  Captain  Van  Schaick  and  the  two  inspectors 
have  been  found  under  a  section  of  the  revised  statutes,  which  reads  : 

u  Every  captain,  engineer,  pilot  or  other  person  employed  on  any 
steamboat  or  vessel,  by  whose  misconduct,  negligence  or  inattention 
to  his  duties  on  such  vessel  the  life  of  any  person  is  destroyed,  and 
every  owner,  inspector  or  other  public  officer,  through  whose  fraud, 
connivance,  misconduct  or  violation  of  law  the  life  of  any  person  is 
destroyed,  shall  be  decreed  guilty  of  manslaughter,  and  upon  con- 
viction thereof  before  any  Circuit  Court  of  the  United  States  shall 
be  sentenced  to  confinement  at  hard  labor  for  a  period  of  not  more 
than  ten  years. " 


BOOK  II. 

THE  GREAT  CHICAGO  HORROR. 


INTRODUCTION. 

TT  has  been  said  that  disregard  of  human  life  is  an  Amer- 
*  ican  characteristic.  Visitors  from  foreign  countries 
are  amazed  at  our  indifference  to  the  safety  of  the  public. 
We  appear  to  take  it  for  granted  that  a  certain  number  of 
accidents  are  bound  to  happen,  and  that  it  is  useless  to 
attempt  to  prevent  them,  or  take  any  precautions,  except 
such  as  are  convenient. 

There  comes  a  smash-up  on  a  railroad,  scores  of  per- 
sons are  hurled  into  eternity,  and  in  a  short  time  the  ter- 
rible calamity  is  forgotten.  Provisions  made  in  other 
countries  for  the  safety  of  travellers  are  not  made  here,  or, 
if  they  are,  not  rigidly  enforced.  Compared  with  other 
nations,  the  charge  has  often  been  made  that  we  hold  hu- 
man life  too  cheap. 

The  recklessness  of  which  we  speak  is  especially  ap- 
parent in  the  construction  and  management  of  our  places 
of  amusement.  To  call  many  of  them  death-traps  is  but 
a  mild  statement  of  the  case.  One  might  think  they  were 
simply  built  and  managed  to  endanger  the  lives  of  the 
public.  What  does  the  insane  greed  of  managers  care  for 
the  people's  safety  ?  Theatres  are  built  solely  to  make 
money,  and  the  greater  the  number  of  persons  that  can 
be  packed  into  them,  the  more  money  the  managers  can 


make. 


35(5 


INTRODUCTION.  857 

Not  only  are  the  seats  crowded  together,  but  the  nar 
row  aisles  add  greatly  to  the  difficulty  of  escapiug,  in  cas« 
of  fire. 

Outrages  of  this  description  are  constantly  inflicted 
upon  an  innocent  public.  Theatres  are  advertised  as  fire- 
proof and  perfectly  safe.  Safe,  indeed !  The  eagerness 
of  managers  and  owners  for  big  audiences  and  enormous 
profits  cause  them  to  disregard  the  fatal  risk,  and  suddenly 
the  world  is  shocked  by  a  horror  like  that  at  the  Iroquois 
theatre  of  Chicago. 

This  building  was  nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  fire- 
trap.  What  mocker}'  to  call  that  place  fire-proof!  Nar- 
row isles,  fire  escapes  almost  concealed,  and  doors  which 
led  to  them  fastened,  scenery  about  the  stage  that  was 
more  inflamable  than  kindling  wood,  criminal  carelessness 
in  the  management  of  the  lights  and  electric  appliances. 
These  are  some  of  the  ghastly  features  that  enter  into  this 
awful  calamity.  The  very  thought  of  that  terrible  scene 
is  enough  to  sicken  humanity.  It  makes  the  blood  run 
cold  and  fires  one's  brain  with  righteous  indignation. 

People  say,  "  What  a  mysterious  providence?  Why 
does  God  permit  such  things  to  happen?"  They  might 
better  say,  "  Why  does  man  transgress  all  natural  laws, 
do  the  very  things  that  ensure  calamity,  and  then  in  their 
folly  wonder  that  it  comes?"  God  did  not  turn  the  Iro- 
quois Theatre  into  a  blazing  furnace.  Men  did  that,  and 
the  woe  is  on  their  heads.  If  you  are  going  to  have  man 
at  all,  you  must  have  him  as  a  free  agent.  He  can  burn 
down  a  theatre  if  he  likes,  and  if  he  disregards  the  means 
of  safety,  the  theatre  is  liable  to  burn,  and  before  heaven 
and  earth  he  stands  convicted  of  the  appalling  crime. 

Unhappily  this  does  not  assuage  the  overwhelming 
loss  of  life  and  sorrow.     The  bolt  has  fallen  and  the  deed 


INTRODUCTION. 

is  done.  For  years  to  come  the  shrieks  of  those  six  hun- 
dred victims  will  rend  the  air  of  the  great  city,  and  the 
emblems  of  death  will  flutter  in  the  winds.  It  is  the  cli- 
max of  fiery  destruction,  such  as  the  world  has  never  seen 
before. 

A  building  thronged  with  people,  all  bent  on  amuse- 
ment, all  eager  for  merriment,  all  without  a  thought  of 
danger,  was  swept  by  a  fiery  blast.  Faces  were  blanched 
with  terror ;  there  was  a  wild  rush  for  the  doors ;  the 
means  of  egress  were  sadly  inefficient ;  a  mad  scramble 
for  safety  crazed  the  multitude;  smoke  and  flame  swept 
down  upon  hundreds  of  women  and  children,  and  in  a 
moment,  as  it  were,  those  who  were  in  the  full  tide  of  en- 
joyment were  writhing  in  the  hot  cauldron  of  flames. 
Suddenly  the  bells  rang  through  the  city  and  the  alarm 
was  given.  It  was  too  late.  The  fire-fiend  hissed  and 
cracked  over  his  prey,  and  in  his  flaming  jaws  human  life 
was  of  no  more  account  than  as  if  it  were  so  much  chaff. 

The  complete  story  of  the  dreadful  calamity  is  told  in 
the  following  pages  with  graphic  power.  The  reader  has 
the  fiery  spectacle  before  him  in  all  its  hideous  colors. 
The  great  Metropolis  of  the  West  was  turned  into  mourn- 
ing, and  staggered  under  the  sudden  blow. 

Immediately  in  many  cities  throughout  our  country 
there  was  a  rigid  examination  of  places  of  amusement, 
many  were  ordered  to  provide  greater  means  of  exit,  and 
others  were  entirely  closed. 

A  fire,  resulting  in  such  terrible  destruction  of  life, 
was  a  solemn  warning  that  could  not  go  unheeded.  It  is 
to  be  hoped  that  never  again  will  such  a  ghastly  disaster 
have  to  be  recorded. 


CHICAGO'S   APPALLING   HORROR. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

STORY  OF  THE  GREATEST  CALAMITY  OF  RECENT  TIMES. 

r~PHE  Iroquois  Theatre  of  Chicago  was  packed  with  a 
'  merry  multitude.  Men,  women  and  children  were 
there  for  amusement  and  enjoyment.  It  was  a  holiday 
throng  bent  on  pleasure.  The  entertainment  was  charm- 
ing, the  spectacle  was  splendid,  and  the  attention  of  the 
multitude  was  riveted.  Not  one  in  the  crowded  place 
anticipated  danger  and  death. 

At  the  height  of  the  entertainment  a  flash  of  fire 
shot  through  the  crowded  auditorium.  It  increased  with 
startling  rapidity.  Suddenly  shrieks  of  terror  rent  the 
air,  and  there  was  a  wild  rush  to  escape  from  the  threat- 
ening fury  of  the  storm  of  fire.  Dumb  terror  was 
succeeded  by  mad  efforts  to  flee  from  the  impending 
holocaust. 

Women  and  children  cried  aloud  with  terrible  alarm. 
Men  fought  like  demons.  The  throng  became  a  seething 
mass  of  human  beings  frantic  to  escape  from  an  awful 
doom.  Smoke  and  flame  filled  the  building,  hundreds 
were  trampled  uuder  foot,  and  in  the  fiery  furnace  more 
than  six  hundred  men,  women  and  children  met  a  hor- 
rible death. 

No  calamity  of  modern  times  can  furnish  a  parallel 

to  the  sickening  scenes  of  that  fatal  day.     Chicago  was 

stunned  and  horrified.    The  civilized  world  stood  aghast  at 

the  frightful  news  of  the  direful  disaster.     Families  were 

359 


360  GREATEST  CALAMITY  OF  RECENT  TIMES. 

riven  in  twain,  friends  and  loved  ones  were  parted  forever, 
scenes  of  sorrow  cast  a  pall  over  the  great  city,  and  it 
seemed  to  reel  and  stagger  nnder  the  merciless  blow. 

For  generations  to  come  the  appalling  story  will  be 
told  and  faces  will  grow  pale  and  hearts  will  grieve  with 
anguish. 

The  details  of  the  overwhelming  disaster  will  be  read 
with  thrilling,  tearful  interest. 

PANIC-STRICKEN    THRONG. 

The  disaster,  the  most  appalling  of  the  character  that 
ever  has  befallen  Chicago,  occurred  in  the  middle  of  the 
matinee  performance  of  "  Mr.  Blue  Beard,"  with  fully 
eighteen  hundred  people  in  the  audience,  a  large  propor- 
tion of  them  women,  girls  and  little  children.  A  calcium 
light  on  a  stand  six  feet  above  the  level  of  the  stage 
exploded,  and  in  a  moment  a  little  streak  of  flame  had 
caught  the  tinsel  of  the  stage  settings,  flooding  everything 
back  of  the  footlights  in  a  wave  of  fire. 

Eddie  Foy,  the  chief  comedian  of  the  company,  stood 
out  from  the  panic-stricken  group  on  the  stage  to  assure 
the  audience  that  there  was  no  danger.  Even  as  he  spoke 
the  great  asbestos  curtain  was  let  down,  caught  on  one 
side  and  failed  to  work. 

In  another  instant  smoke  burst  out  from  the  top  arch 
of  the  stage  and  from  under  the  bottom  of  the  curtain, 
and  before  a  man  or  woman  in  the  seats  could  rise  the 
whole  roof  of  the  auditorium  was  in  a  blaze.  Two  gas 
tanks  exploded  in  the  flies  on  the  east  side  of  the  theatre, 
and  black,  choking  fumes  beat  down  in  a  cloud  of  death 
from  every  wall. 

That  was  all.  Fear,  uncontrollable  and  terrible, 
reigned.     Men  and  women  fought  like  wild  beasts,  filled 


GREATEST  CALAMITY  OF  RECENT  TIMES.  361 

only  with  the  desire  for  self-preservation.  Little  babies 
slipped  from  their  mothers'  uplifted  arms  and  in  an 
instant  their  lives  were  crushed  under  foot.  Girls  threw 
themselves  from  the  balconies  and  lay  crushed  and  dying 
till  suffocation  ended  their  miseries. 

Over  one  thousand  people  in  the  orchestra  seats,  with 
easy  access  to  the  doors,  gradually  made  their  way  to 
safety,  but  most  of  them  threw  aside  wraps,  pocketbooks, 
hats — everything  that  seemed  to  burden  them  in  their 
rush  for  life  and  the  open  air.  In  spite  of  the  panic,  in 
spite  of  the  suffocation,  nearly  all  of  them  were  saved. 

UPPER  FLOORS  DEATH  TRAPS. 

But  in  the  balcony  and  the  gallery  the  angel  of 
destruction  wrought  his  frightful  work  at  will.  The 
flame  and  smoke  gathering  on  these  upper  floors  caught 
the  people  before  they  realized  the  full  extent  of  the 
danger.  It  seemed  incredible  that  the  little  rush  of  fire 
could  lap  the  walls  so  quickly  and  reach  out  after  them 
like  a  stroke  of  lightning. 

Then,  when  the  full  meaning  of  the  disaster  came  to 
them,  they  fought  and  battled  with  one  another  for  safety 
— battled  like  stampeded  animals,  with  the  deadly  smoke 
curling  all  about  them,  everything  plunged  into  absolute 
darkness,  not  even  a  friendly  lantern  to  show  them  the 
way  out  of  this  dance  of  death. 

The  classic  outlines  of  the  theatre,  the  beautiful  plush 
hangings,  the  arched  windows  with  their  stained  glass, 
the  stately  pillars,  became  a  morgue  five  minutes  after  the 
first  little  ribbon  of  flame  made  its  way  along  the  stage. 
Women  and  girls  in  the  gallery  never  had  a  chance  for  life. 
They  met  the  end  still  seated  in  their  theatre  chairs,  their 
poor,  impotent  hands  burnt  into  one  commingled  cinde* 


362  GREATEST  CALAMITY  OF  RECENT  TIMES. 

with  the  sides  of  the  seats  they  had  grasped  when  the 
panic  came.  Others,  who  had  managed  by  the  strength 
of  terror  to  get  into  the  aisles,  found  their  awful  ending 
in  a  mingled  doom  of  smoke  and  fire  and  tearing  of  limbs 
in  the  passages  and  the  open  space  back  of  the  seats. 
Dozens  of  others,  swept,  carried,  dragged  or  thrown  out 
to  the  stairways,  and  even  beyond  them  down  to  the  land- 
ings in  actual  sight  of  the  daylight  that  streamed  through 
the  big  front  doors — in  sight  of  the  throngs  outside,  the 
fire  wagons  and  the  smoking  horses — died  in  great  masses 
seven  and  eight  feet  high,  limbs  mingled  fearfully  together, 
clothing  burnt  off  and  faces  caught  in  their  last  agonies, 
all  turned  toward  the  doors  they  could  not  reach. 

IMPROVISED    MEANS    OF    ESCAPE. 

From  windows  at  the  north  and  west  ends  of  the 
building  the  victims  streamed,  blinded  by  the  smoke  and 
crazed  beyond  any  possibility  of  helping  themselves 
further  or  of  taking  advantage  of  the  aid  extended  to 
them  from  the  upper  floors  of  buildings  facing  the  theatre. 
Ladders,  planks,  ropes,  poles,  everything  that  could  possi- 
bly serve  to  assist  these  poor  creatures  in  their  battle  for 
life,  were  rigged  into  bridges,  but  few  got  across  alive. 

These  things  were  utilized  fifteen  minutes  after  the 
first  alarm  to  drag  the  charred  bodies  across,  and  over 
them  passed  rapidly  one  blackened  corpse  after  another 
till  every  building  on  the  north  and  west  were  filled  with 
them.  Barely  five  minutes  after  the  first  alarm  was 
turned  in  firemen  were  struggling  into  the  theatre,  mak- 
ing their  way,  in  some  miraculous  manner,  through  the 
maddened  mob  that  was  pouring  out  of  the  auditorium, 
and  doing  what  little  the^  could,  not  only  to  check  the 
fire  which  was  fast  turning  the  whole  interior  shell  into  a 


GREATEST  CALAMI /Y  OF  RECENT  TIMES.  863 

cauldron,   but  to  aid  the  frantic  hundreds  in  the  upper 
balconies  by  ladders  stretched  from  the  main  floor. 

A  few — thirty  at  most — were  rescued  in  this  way, 
and  then,  the  firemen,  after  controlling  the  flames,  aban- 
doned their  lengths  of  hose  to  go  with  the  fast-gatherin; ; 
police  and  manfully  reach  what  waited  for  them  on  the 
upper  stairways  and  in  the  balcony  seats. 

THE    SILENT    HEAPS    OF    DEAD. 

Here  was  no  more  struggling,  no  more  franctic  haste. 
Hundreds,  with  homes  in  every  part  of  the  city,  still 
showing  at  their  windows  Christmas  wreaths,  still  filled 
with  the  decorations  of  the  holiday  season,  lay  beyond  all 
thought  of  worldly  things  in  silent  heaps  of  death. 
There  were  no  men,  even  among  those  accustomed  to 
scenes  of  destruction  and  mortality,  who  could  approach 
these  fearful,  stilled  masses  calmly.  Time  and  time  again 
they  started  toward  the  upper  stairways,  caught  one 
another  by  the  arms,  and  cried  like  little  children,  stunned 
by  the  horror  of  it  all. 

And  still,  outside  the  main  entrance  to  the  building, 
passers-by,  attracted  by  the  presence  of  the  fire  engines, 
had  no  knowledge  of  the  fearful  disaster  inside.  Hundreds 
of  people  passed  and  repassed  within  a  block  without 
knowing  it,  even  hundreds  of  men  stationed  in  the  road- 
way, were  asking  one  another  if  there  had  been  any 
accident,  and  if  any  among  the  audience  had  been  badly 
hurt. 

But  when  from  the  inside  began  to  stream  a  procession 
of  firemen,  carrying  between  them  the  charred  remains  of 
those  who  a  little  while  before  had  been  happy  in  the 
enjoyment  of  an  afternoon's  pleasure,  the  scene  without 
changed  as  if  by  magic. 


364'  GREATEST  CALAMITY  OF  RECENT  TIMES. 

From  every  business  street  of  the  city,  men,  whose 
wives  and  families  had  gone  to  the  matinee,  streamed,  with 
white  faces  and  eyes  blinded  with  half-frozen  tears,  over 
to  the  theatre,  and  screamed  like  madmen  the  names  of 
those  they  were  seeking.  Many  of  them  found  theii 
loved  ones  safe,  but  still  half  crazed,  in  surrounding  stores 
and  hotels,  others  discovered  them  among  the  dead,  iden- 
tified by  some  particle  of  dress,  a  half-charred  hair  ribbon, 
a  shoe,  or  a  locket.  Others  are  still  searching  and  will 
continue  to  search  before  they  can  finally  assure  them- 
selves that  the  happiness  of  their  lives  has  gone  foreover, 

MERCY  KNOWS  NO  BOUNDS. 

Soon  from  every  hospital  in  the  city  came  ambulances, 
nurses  and  physicians  ;  priests  and  Sisters  of  Mercy, 
stood  side  by  side  with  surgeons  and  great  bands  of  women 
from  St.  Luke's,  the  Presbyterian  and  nearly  every  other 
hospital  in  the  city,  waiting  patiently  like  soldiers  till  the 
moment  they  should  be  called  on.  Down  the  beautiful 
staircases,  glittering  again  in  the  rows  of  electric  lights, 
the  current  of  which  had  been  readjusted  by  electricians, 
came  the  procession  of  men  carrying  the  dead  and  dying. 
In  ten  minutes  a  dozen  stores  had  been  converted  into  hos- 
pitals and  morgues. 

Two  large  restuarants,  one  on  Randolph  and  one  on 
Dearborn  street,  flung  their  tables  and  counters  on  top  of 
one  another  and  laid  out  great  heaps  of  table  linen  to  be 
used  for  bandages  for  the  wounded  and  coverings  for  the 
dead.  All  the  great  State  street  stores  threw  their  main 
floors  open  and  sent  to  the  theatre  great  piles  of  blankets, 
rubber  cloth — anything  and  everything  that  could  be 
utilized. 

Ambulances  were  re-enforced  by  dozens  of  wagons 


GREATEST   CALAMITY   OF   RECENT   TIMES.  555 

from  these  stores  and  tes  ming  establishments  and  from 
everywhere  willing  helpers  poured  out  to  do  or  give 
what  help  they  could.  In  a  little  while,  with  frantic 
thousands  trying  to  batter  through  strong  lines  of  police 
flung  across  the  corners  of  Dearborn  and  State  streets, 
the  bodies  of  the  dead  came  faster  and  faster,  till  it 
seemed  as  if  there  was  no  place  to  lay  them. 

SIDEWALKS    FILLED   WITH    DEAD. 

The  north  sidewalk  of  Randolph  street  for  a  hundred 
yards  was  covered  with  these  remains,  packed  side  by  side 
and  covered  with  white  blankets  and  tablecloths.  Soon 
the  great  entrance  was  choked  with  them,  and  faster  than 
morgue  wagons  could  take  them  away  they  were  deposited 
on  the  sidewalks  and  in  every  building  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. 

Here  and  there,  men  tip  in  the  gallery  entrances 
could  hear  underneath  the  tangled  masses,  a  faint  moan 
— the  despairing  signal  of  some  unfortunate  for  succor. 
Then,  tearing,  struggling  at  the  blackened  mass  to  pene- 
trate it  and  effect  a  rescue,  they  labored,  cursing  and 
crying.  Some  of  the  still  living  victims  were  rescued 
and  taken  out  in  time  to  be  saved.  Others  died  before 
they  could  be  lifted  from  the  heap  of  dead ;  others,  while 
they  were  being  carried  down  the  staircases. 

A  flower  and  seed  store  directly  opposite  the  theatre, 
filled  with  green  stuff  and  beautiful  blossoms,  was  choked 
with  bodies  brought  there  and  laid  on  the  floors.  The 
Sherman  House,  Kohlsaat's  and  Thompson's  restaurants, 
the  Tremont  Building,  the  Borden  Block,  the  Union 
Restaurant,  the  lobby  of  the  Garrick  Theatre,  Marshall 
Field's  store,  and  all  the  saloons  and  cigar  stores  in  the 
vicinity  were  filled  with  the  dead  and  dying. 


366  GREATEST  CALAMITY  OF  RECENT  TIMES. 

Ill  and  out  among  them  wandered  incessantly  frantic 
parents,  brothers  and  sisters,  looking  for  their  relatives; 
members  of  the  company,  still  in  their  fantastic  costumes, 
staggering  half-distracted  by  the  horror  from  which  they 
had  escaped  ;  doctors  and  nurses,  patient  and  sympathetic, 
doing  their  work  rapidly  and  skillfully,  never  swerving 
from  the  most  frightful  tasks,  if  by  performing  them  they 
could  bring  relief  or  beckon  back  the  little  life  left  in 
those  among  the  mass  of  poor  creatures  who  still 
lingered. 

NOBLE    WORK   OF    SUCCOR. 

Every  drug  store  in  the  downtown  district  was 
emptied  of  everything  that  could  possibly  be  of  service, 
and,  often  by  the  light  of  lanterns  and  candles,  these 
devoted  men  and  women  labored  on  till  far  into  the  night, 
till  some  of  them  dropped  from  sheer  fatigue.  At  six 
o'clock  the  firemen  and  policemen  engaged  in  the  work  of 
bringing  out  the  bodies  were  still  tramping  wearily  up 
and  down  those  stairways  of  death,  and  still  finding  work 
for  their  hands  and  mournful  burdens  to  bring  down 
from  the  upper    floors. 

The  following  from  the  pen  of  a  graphic  writer  will 
be  read  with  mournful  interest : 

"  Where  beauty  and  fashion  and  the  happy  amuse- 
ment seeker  thronged  the  palatial  playhouse  to  fall  a  few 
moments  later  before  a  deadly  blast  of  smoke  and  flame 
sweeping  over  all  with  irresistible  force,  the  dawn  of  the 
last  day  of  the  passing  year  found  confusion,  chaos  and 
an  all-prevading  sense  of  the  awful.  It  seemed  to  radiate 
the  chilling,  depressing  volume  from  the  streaked,  grime- 
covered  walls  and  the  flame-licked  ceilings  overhead. 
Against  this  fearful  background  the  few  grim  firemen  01 


GREATEST  CALAMITY  OF  RECENT  TIMES.  3G7 

police,  moving  silently  about  the  ruins,  searching  for 
overlooked  dead  or  abandoned  property,  loomed  up  like 
fitful  ghosts. 

"  The  progress  of  their  noiseless  and  ghastly  f£uest 
proved  one  circumstance  survivors  are  too  unsettled  to 
realize.  With  the  opening  of  the  stage  door  to  permit 
the  escape  of  the  members  of  the  '  Mr.  Bluebeard ' 
company  and  the  breaking  of  the  skylight  above  the  flue- 
like scene  loft  that  tops  the  stage,  the  latter  was  con- 
verted into  a  furnace  through  which  a  tremendous  draft 
poured  like  a  blow  pipe,  driving  billows  of  flame  into  the 
faces  of  the  terrified  audience.  With  exits  above  the 
parquet  floor  simply  choked  up  with  the  crushed  bodies 
of  struggling  victims,  who  made  the  first  rush  for  safety, 
the  packed  hundreds  in  balcony  and  gallery  faced  fire 
that  moved  them  up  in  waves. 

FIRE  GREEDILY  DEVOURS   THE  DECORATIONS. 

"  With  a  swirl  that  sounded  death,  the  thin  bright 
sheet  of  fire  rolled  on  from  stage  to  rear  wall.  It  fed  on 
the  rich  box  curtains,  seized  upon  the  sparse  veneer  of 
subdued  red  and  green  decorations  spread  upon  wall, 
ceiling  and  balcony  facings.  It  licked  the  fireproof 
materials  below  clean  and  rolled  on  with  a  roar.  Over 
seat  tops  and  plush  rail  cushions  it  sped.  Then  it 
snuffed  out,  having  practically  nothing  to  feed  upon  save 
the  tangled  mass  of  wood  scene  frames,  batons  and  paint- 
soaked  canvas  on  the  stage. 

"  There  firemen  were  directing  streams  of  water  that 
poured  over  the  premises  in  great  cascades,  in  volume 
aggregating  many  tons.  A  few  streams  were  directed 
about  the  body  of  the  house,  where  vagrant  tongues  of 
flame   still    found    material   on    which    to   feed.     Silence 


368  GREATEST  CALAMITY  OF  RECENT  TIMES. 

reigned— the    silence    of   death,   but  none   realized   the 
appaling  story  behind  the  awful  calm. 

"  The  stampede  that  followed  the  first  alarm,  a 
struggle  in  which  most  contestants  were  women  and 
children,  fighting  with  the  desperation  of  death,  ter- 
minated with  the  sudden  sweep  of  the  sea  of  flames  across 
the  body  of  the  house.  The  awful  battle  ended  before 
the  irresistible  hand  of  death,  which  fell  upon  contestants 
and  those  behind  alike.  Somehow  those  on  the  main 
floor  managed  to  force  their  way  out.  Above,  where  the 
presence  of  narrower  exits,  stairways  that  precipitated  the 
masses  of  humanity  upon  each  other  and  the  natural  air 
current  for  the  billows  of  flame  to  follow,  spelled  death  to 
the  occupants  of  the  two  balconies,  the  wave  of  flame, 
smoke  and  gas  smote  the  multitude. 

APPALLING   SHRIEKS  OF   THE  VICTIMS. 

"  Dropping  where  they  stood,  most  of  the  victims 
were  consumed  beyond  recognition.  Some  who  were  pro- 
tected from  contact  with  the  flames  by  masses  of  humanity 
piled  upon  them,  escaped  death,  and  were  dragged  out 
later  by  rescuers,  suffering  all  manner  of  injury.  The 
majority,  however,  who  beheld  the  indescribably  terrifying 
spectacle  of  the  wave  of  death  moving  upon  them  through 
the  air  died  then  and  there  without  a  moment  for  prepara- 
tion. Few  survived  to  tell  the  tale.  The  blood-curdling 
cry  of  mingled  prayers  and  curses,  of  pleas  for  help  and 
meaningless  shrieks  of  despair  died  away  before  the  roar 
of  the  fire  and  the  silence  fell  that  greeted  the  firemen 
upon  their  entry. 

"  Survivors  describe  the  situation  as  a  parallel  of  the 
condition  at  Martinique,  when  a  wave  of  gas  and  fire 
rolled  down  the  mountain  side  and  destroyed  everything 


GREATEST  CALAMITY  OF  RECENT  TIMES.  069 

in  its  path.  Here,  however,  one  circumstance  was  re- 
versed, for  the  wave  of  death  leaped  from  below  and  smote 
its  victims,  springing  from  the  very  air  beneath  them. 

"  In  a  few  minutes  it  was  all  over — all  but  the  weep- 
ing. In  those  few  minutes  obscure  people  had  evolved 
into  heroes ;  staid  business  men  drove  out  patrons  to 
convert  their  stores  into  temporary  hospitals  and  morgues ; 
others  converted  their  trucks  and  delivery  wagons  into 
improvised  ambulances  ;  stocks  of  drugs,  oils  and  blankets 
were  showered  upon  the  police  to  aid  in  relief  work  and  a 
corps  of  physicians  and  surgeons  sufficient  to  the  needs 
of  an  army  had  organized. 

MIRACULOUS  FEATS  OF  RESCUE. 

"  Rescues  little  short  of  miraculous  were  accom- 
plished and  life  and  limb  were  risked  by  public  servants 
and  citizens  with  no  thought  of  personal  consequences. 
Public  sympathy  was  thoroughly  aroused  long  before  the 
extent  of  the  horror  was  known  and  before  the  sickening 
report  spread  throughout  the  city  that  the  greatest  holo- 
caust ever  known  in  the  history  of  theatricals  had  fallen 
upon  Chicago. 

u  While  the  streets  began  to  crowd  for  blocks  around 
with  weeping  and  heartbroken  persons  in  mortal  terror 
because  of  knowledge  that  loved  ones  had  attended  the 
performance,  patrol  wagons,  ambulances  and  open  wagons 
hurried  the  injured  to  the  hospitals.  Before  long  they 
were  called  upon  to  perform  the  more  grewsome  task  of 
removing  the  dead.  In  wagon  loads  the  latter  were  carted 
away.  Undertaking  establishments  both  north,  south 
and  west  of  the  river  threw  open  their  doors. 

"  Piled  in  windows,  in  the  angles  of  the  stairway, 
where  the  second  balcony  refugees  were  brought  face  to 

N.Y.  24 


370  GREATEST  CALAMITY  OF  RECENT  TIMES. 

face  and  in  a  death  struggle  with  the  occupants  of  the 
first  balcony,  the  dead  covered  a  space  of  fifteen  or  twenty 
feet  square  and  nearly  seven  feet  in  depth.  All  were 
absolutely  safe  from  the  fire  itself  when  they  met  death, 
having  emerged  from  the  theatre  proper  into  the  separate 
building  containing  the  foyer.  In  this  great  court  there 
was  absolutely  nothing  to  burn  and  the  doors  were  only  a 
Jew  feet  away.  There  the  ghastly  pile  lay,  a  mute  mon- 
ument to  the  powers  of  terror.  Above  and  about  towered 
shimmering  columns  and  facades  of  polished  marble, 
whose  cold  and  unharmed  surfaces  kerned  to  bespeak 
contempt  for  human  folly.  In  that  portion  of  the  Iro- 
quois structure  the  only  physical  ev; fences  of  damages 
were  a  few  windows  broken  during  the  excitement. 

EXITS   WERE   CHOKED   WITH    BODIES. 

"  To  that  pile  of  dead  is  attributed  the  great  loss  of 
life  within.  The  bodies  choked  up  the  entrance,  barring 
the  egress  of  those  behind.  Neither  age  nor  }^outh,  sex, 
qualhy  or  condition  were  sacred  in  the  awful  battle  in  the 
doorway.  The  gray  and  aged,  rich,  poor,  young  and 
those  obviously  invalids  in  life  lay  in  a  tangled  mass  all 
on  an  awful  footing  of  equality  in  silent  annihilation. 

"  Within  and  above  equal  terrors  were  encountered 
in  what  at  first  seemed  countless  victims.  Lights. 
patience  and  hard  work  brought  about  some  semblance 
of  system  and  at  last  word  was  given  that  the  last  body 
had  been  removed  from  the  charnel  house.  A  large 
police  detail  surrounded  the  place  all  night,  and  with  the 
break  of  day  search  of  the  premises  was  renewed,  none 
being  admitted  save  b}r  presentation  of  a  written  order 
from  Chief  of  Police  O'Neill.  Fire  engines  pumped  away 
removing  the  lake  of  water  that  flooded  the  basement  to 


GREATEST  CALAMITY  OF  RECENT  TIMES.  37 1 

the  depth  of  ten  feet.     As  the  flood  was  lowered  it  began 
to  be  apparent  that  the  basement  was  free  of  dead. 

u  Searchers  gazing  down  from  the  heights  of  the 
upper  balcony  surveyed  the  scene  of  death  below  with 
horror  stamped  upon  their  faces.  Fire  had  left  its  terrify- 
ing blight  in  a  colorless,  garish  monotony  that  suggests 
the  burned- out  crater  of  an  extinct  volcano.  In  the 
wreckage,  the  scattered  garments  and  purses,  fragments 
of  charred  bodies  and  other  debris  strewn  within  thous- 
ands of  bits  of  brilliantly  colored  glass,  lay  as  they  fell 
shattered  in  the  fight  against  the  flames.  A  few  skulls 
were  seen. 

FIND  BUSHELS  OF  PURSES. 

"  Five  bushel  baskets  were  filled  with  women's  purses 
gathered  by  the  police.  A  huge  pile  of  garments  was 
removed  to  a  near-by  saloon,  where  an  officer  guarded 
them  pending  removal  to  some  more  appropriate  place. 
The  shoes  and  overshoes  picked  up  among  the  seats  filled 
two  barrels  to  overflowing. 

"  The  fire  manifested  itself  in  the  flies  above  the  stage 
during  the  second  act.  The  double  octette  was  singing 
'  In  the  Pale  Moonlight '  when  the  tragedy  swept  mirth 
and  music  aside,  to  give  way  to  a  more  somber  and  fright- 
ful performace.  Confusion  on  the  stage,  panic  in  the 
auditorium,  phenomenal  spread  of  the  incipient  blaze, 
failure  of  the  asbestos  fire  curtain  to  fall  in  place  when 
lowered  followed  in  rapid  progress,  with  the  holocaust  as 
the  climax." 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

AWFUL  SPECTACLE  DESCRIBED  BY  THE  RESCUED. 

ONE  of  the  most  graphic  descriptions  of  the  horror 
was  given  by  Frank  Houseman,  professional  ball 
player,  who,  with  Charley  Dexter,  formerly  of  the  West 
Side  baseball  team,  was  occupying  an  upper  box  in  the 
theatre  when  the  fire  started.  Both  Houseman  and 
Dexter  led  in  forcing  a  way  out  of  the  theatre,  and  were 
active  in  the  work  of  rescue  that  followed.  Here  is 
Jouseman's  story  : 

"  Charley  Dexter  and  I  were  in  the  front  upper  box 
en  the  right  hand  side.  We  had  just  been  talking  about 
the  double  row  of  little  boys  and  girls  that  filled  the  front 
balcony  seats.  The  theatre  was  dark  for  the  second  act, 
-~nd  the  stage  was  only  partly  lighted,  too. 

"  Maybe  a  dozen  of  the  chorus  was  on  singing  c  I 
Meet  You  in  the  Moon's  Pale  Light/  when  I  noticed  a 
little  tongue  of  flame  back  in  the  flies  on  the  other  side 
of  the  stage.  It  was  up  just  below  the  bottom  of  the 
urop  curtain,  which  was  raised,  and  looked  just  like  some- 
body shaking  a  blazing  handkerchief. 

"  '  Charley/  I  said,  '  it's  us  to  the  exits.  This  may 
not  be  anything,  but  you  know  the  dark  little  hall  we 
had  to  come  through.' 

a  So  we  moved  along  quietly  before  anybody  in  the 
audience  knew  anything  was  wrong.  We  hadn't  an}' 
more  than  got  to  the  next  floor  when  the  stage  began  to 
get  smoky,  and  you  could  hear  the  crowd  in  the  theatre 
begin  to  get  worried.  Just  then  Eddie  Foy  came  out  to 
the  front  of  the  stage,  and  with  the  little  blazing  bits  of 

372 


SPECTACLE    DESCRIBED   BY  THE   RESCUED.  373 

scenery  dropping  back   of  him,  he  kept  saying  :  *  Don't 
get  frightened ;  sit  still  ;  it's  only  a  little  stage  fire.' 

"  By  this  time  the  whole  theatre  was  in  an  uproar. 
Big  chunks  of  blazing  scenery  began  to  fall.  The  girls 
on  the  stage  were  fainting,  and  Dexter  and  I  rushed  to  a 
couple  of  exists  on  the  east  side. 

FINDS    DOOR    SHUT. 

"  '  Open  the  door,'  said  I  to  the  usher. 

u  '  Wait  till  the  drop  curtain  comes  down,'  he  said. 

"  By  this  time  the  crowd  was  getting  wild  and  push- 
ing against  the  doors.  The  stage  was  blazing  and  the 
smoke  rolling  out  into  the  body  of  the  theatre. 

"  '  For  God's  sake,  open  the  doors  ! '  I  shouted. 

u  The  usher  didn't  move.  Well,  I  grabbed  the  fellow 
and  threw  him  as  far  as  I  could  and  burst  open  the  door. 
The  minute  it  gave  way  the  crowd  shoved  me  with  a  rash 
and  jammed  me  against  a  pair  of  iron  doors  that  were 
locked.  I  felt  of  the  latch  and  found  it  was  like  the  one 
on  my  ice  box  at  home. 

a  '  This  is  easy,'  I  said  to  Dexter,  who  had  broken 
open  another  door.  We  caught  hold  of  the  big  iron 
latch,  and  with  a  few  wrenches  pulled  it  open.  At  that 
minute  a  big  sheet  of  fire  came  out  from  the  stage  with  a 
puff  that  drove  the  crowd  mad.  In  a  flash  I  saw  Edd}r 
Foy  apparently  buried  in  flames,  and  before  I  could  catch 
my  breath  the  crowd  caught  me  and  almost  threw  me 
clear  across  the  alley  leading  to  State  Street. 

u  In  that  alley  was  the  most  awful  sight  I  ever  saw. 
The  fire  escapes  over  the  alley  were  packed  with  strug- 
gling, screaming  people  fighting  to  jump  to  the  ground. 
They  were  falling  like  rain  drops  and  making  a  pile  of 
dead  and  dying  under  the  escapes.     One  man  landed  or 


374  SPECTACLE  DESCRIBED  BY  THE  RESCUED. 

the  mass  of  people  and  struggled  to  his  knees,  when  a 
woman  fell  on  his  head  and  struck  him  dead.  I  saw 
another  woman  clinging  to  the  outside  of  the  lower  fire 
escape. 

"  '  Jump/  I  yelled.  '  It's  only  ten  feet.' 
"  As  she  came  down  I  held  out  my  arms  to  break 
her  fall,  and  she  struck  my  shoulder.  By  this  time  the 
smoke  was  piling  out  of  the  door  we  had  broken  open, 
and  Dexter  and  I  worked  till  we  were  exhausted  pulling 
out  women  and  children  who  were  overcome  by  the  smoke 
and  the  horror. 

"  It  was  terrible.  Mothers  were  calling  for  their 
little  ones.  Little  girls  were  screaming  and  bewildered. 
A  mass  of  crazy  human  beings  were  almost  tearing  each 
other  to  pieces  trying  to  crowd  out  of  that  one  small 
opening  that  we  had  made." 

DEXTER    PICTURES   HORROR. 

Dexter's  story,  too,  furnishes  an  appalling  word 
picture  of  the  terrible  stampede. 

"  I  can  hardly  realize  that  it  isn't  all  a  horrible  night- 
mare," he  said.  c<  When  Houseman  called  my  attention 
to  the  blaze  I  didn't  think  there  was  much  to  it,  but  while 
I  looked  it  seemed  to  take  in  the  whole  side  of  the  stage. 

"  '  You'd  better  bring  out  that  lady,'  said  I  to  a  man 
who  was  in  the  same  box  with  us,  with  a  girl. 

"  '  I  guess  I  know  my  business,'  he  answered,  and 
he  stayed  behind. 

"  God  help  those  two,  for  Houseman  and  I  didn't 
more  than  have  time  to  get  down  stairs  before  the  whole 
stage  was  ablaze,  with  Eddie  Foy  trying  to  keep  <the 
crowd  quiet  and  the  orchestra  leader  playing  his  fiddle, 
facing  the  audience,  and  nodding  to  them  to  sit  down. 


SPECTACLE  DESCRIBED   BY   THE  RESCUED.  375 

"When  I  reached  the  exit  three  little  children  were 
clinging  to  me.  The  door  was  locked,  but  I  broke  it  open. 
The  crowd  by  this  time  was  crushing  against  me  like  a 
lot  of  wild  people.  I  don't  know  how  we  got  the  iron 
doors  open,  but  when  I  got  into  the  alley  I  found  two 
children  in  my  arms,  and  Houseman  was  there  helping 
the  women.  I  saw  him  hold  out  his  arms  to  a  woman 
who  jumped  from  the  fire  escape,  and  it  seemed  to  me 
that  she  knocked  him  twenty  feet. 

THE   FRENZY  OF    DESPAIR. 

"  The  fire  escapes  were  filled  with  women  and  chil- 
dren. It  was  awful,  awful !  There  they  were  packed 
together  so  closely  that  only  a  few  could  break  loose  and 
jump,  and  some  of  them  were  burning  to  death  before 
our  eyes. 

"  I  took  the  children  into  a  corner  drug  store  and 
hadn't  any  more  than  set  them  down  when  in  rushed  a 
woman  with  her  hair  down  and  her  clothes  almost  torn 
off  and  grabbed  the  little  girl,  screaming:  u  Darling ! 
darling !  don't  you  know  your  mother  ?  '' 

"  When  I  got  back  to  the  alley  the  firemen  and  police 
were  pulling  out  the  dead  and  mangled,  and  Houseman 
was  crying  like  a  baby,  while  he  carried  away  the  little 
ones.  If  I  live  a  thousand  years  I  can  never  forget  that 
awful  scene.'' 

William  "  Smiley  ''  Corbett  and  Edward  Butler,  a  city 
employe,  were  met  by  Houseman  and  Dexter  and  rushed 
into  the  burning  building  at  the  Randolph  street  entrance 
to  help  in  the  rescue:     This  is  Corbett's  story : 

"  I  didn't  intend  to  go  into  the  building,  but,  as  I 
stood  there,  an  old  woman  came  up  to  me  tearing  her  hair 
and  screamed : 


376  SPECTACLE  DESCRIBED  BY  THE  RESCUED. 

"  *  Help  me  1  Help  me !  My  two  children  are  in 
there.' 

"  Well,  no  man  conld  stand  that.  l  That  means  us.' 
I  said  to  Bntler,  and  we  started.  Policeman  John  Rohan 
tried  to  stop  ns. 

"  i  You'll  burn  up,  sure,'  he  said. 

(i  We  made  for  the  east  side,  intending  to  go  into  the 
main  body  of  the  theatre,  but  in  our  excitement  we  got 
tangled  up  in  the  dark  hallways,  and  the  first  we  knew 
we  were  up  against  a  door  at  the  top  of  the  building  and 
everything  was  as  dark  as  pitch. 

"  •  My  God !  hear  the  screams  ! '  gasped  Butler. 

•  •  We  caught  hold  of  the  handles  of  the  door,  and 
managed  to  break  it  open.  Piled  up  five  feet  deep  by  the 
door  was  a  mass  of  dead  and  dying  creatures.  I  grabbed 
hold  of  an  arm,  and  the  skin  peeled  off  in  my  hands. 
The  smoke  was  suffocating  and  the  heat  was  terrible.  As 
we  pulled  the  poor  victims  out  it  seemed  to  me  that  I 
couldn't  go  on. 

GREAT   HEAPS   OF   DEAD. 

<c  There  were  young  girls,  with  their  waists  torn  off, 
women  and  children  scorched  and  dead  in  great  heaps, 
and  a  few  still  struggling  feebly.  Everything  showed 
that  the  fight  to  get  out  must  have  been  something 
beyond  description.  And  all  was  in  smoke  and  darkness 
so  dense  that  we  could  only  see  those  who  were  next  to 
the  door. 

"We  broke  open  a  door  leading  into  a  big,  empty 
room,  and  that  let  in  a  little  light.  Into  this  room  we 
carried  the  dead,  and  started  downstairs  with  the  few  who 
were  still  alive.  By  this  time  the  firemen  had  come  up, 
and  we  passed  th^.  living  along.     The  hallway  was  so 


SPECTACLE   DESCRIBED   BY  THE   RESCUED.  377 

narrow  that  only  one  could  come  or  go  at  a  time.  So 
those  coming  up  had  to  go  back  to  the  landing  to  let  the 
ones  pass  who  were  carrying  the  victims  down. 

"  It  seemed  as  if  nobody  escaped  from  the  gallery, 
judging  by  what  we  saw.  When  we  got  down  to  the  bal- 
cony we  found  women  and  children  piled  up  against  the 
door  almost  to  the  top  and  nearly  all  dead.  I  couldn't 
stand  it  any  longer.  It  made  me  sick  all  over,  and  I 
barely  had  strength  enough  left  to  get  into  the  open  air. 

PERISH    IN    THE  DARK. 

"  When  Corbett  started  into  the  theatre,"  said  Mr. 
Butler,  Mr.  Corbett's  companion  in  the  rescue  work,  "  I 
made  up  my  mind  it  was  a  case  of  follow  the  leader.  It 
was  as  dark  as  pitch,  and  I  can't  tell  now  how  we  got 
where  we  did.  When  we  broke  the  door  open  leading  into 
the  gallery  I  saw  the  most  pitiful  sight  that  I  ever  expect 
to  see.  Women  and  children  and  even  babies  were  jam- 
med together  in  the  most  frightful  way.  Some  of  them 
were  still  gasping,  some  of  them  burned,  and  all  of  them 
with  their  clothing  torn  to  shieds. 

"  I  pulled  out  one  girl  whose  hand  was  burned  to  a 
crisp  clear  to  the  elbow.  It  seemed  as  if  they  were  all 
little  children  and  women,  and  they  were  mangled,  torn 
and  burned  until  it  would  break  your  heart.  Corbett  car, 
ried  them  away  two  at  a  time,  and  for  ten  minutes  it 
seemed  we  did  nothing  but  try  to  untangle  the  heap  of 
dead  and  dying.  By  that  time  the  firemen  came  to  help 
us,  and  we  carried  the  living  out  into  the  air. 

"  When  I  was  asked  how  many  were  dead,  I  said 
there  might  be  two  hundred  and  there  might  be  a  thou- 
sand, for  I  don't  see  how  any  of  them  could  have  got 
away  from  that  black   hole.     Hades  doesn't  more  than 


378  SPECTACLE  DESCRIBED  BY  THE  RESCUED. 

begin  to  describe  what  we  saw  when  we  broke  in  that  gal- 
lery door." 

Dazed  and  horrified  by  the  frightful  calamity,  mem- 
bers of  the  Iroquois  Theatre  force  and  of  the  cast  of  "  Mr. 
Blue  Beard  "  were  absolutely  at  a  loss  when  asked  for  a 
coherent  explanation  of  the  cause  of  the  tragedy.  As 
soon  as  the  panic  broke,  the  four  hundred  persons  on  the 
stage  hurried  out  through  the  stage  entrance  and  escaped, 
all  without  serious  injury,  although  some  were  slightly 
burned. 

The  first  act  of  the  piece  was  seen  by  an  almost  rec- 
ord-breaking assemblage,  largely  women  and  children  out 
for  a  holiday  matinee.  Many  had  taken  standing-room, 
unable  to  obtain  seats,  and  there  were  eighteen  hundred 
persons  within  the  walls  when  the  flames  started.  Among 
them  was  Harry  Powers,  part  owner  of  the  house. 

STAR    STARTS   MUSIC. 

Shortly  after  the  second  act  had  begun,  at  3:35  o'clock, 
flames  and  sparks  were  seen  to  run  along  the  bordering  of 
the  proscenium  arch.  A  cry  of  "Fire !  "  arose,  and  Eddie 
Foy,  principal  comedian  of  the  company,  stepped  before 
the  footlights  to  warn  the  audience  to  keep  calm.  He 
then  asked  the  musicians  to  play,  and  they  struck  up  a 
popular  air.  Mr.  Foy  and  the  musicians  were  applauded 
by  the  house.  The  flames  grew  brighter,  and  then  the 
panic  suddenly  broke. 

Mr.  Fitzgerald,  as  the  star  is  known  in  private  life, 
tells  the  following  story  of  his  experiences : 

"  I  was  standing  in  the  first  entrance,  with  my  little 
son  Bryant,  waiting  for  my  cue,  when  the  fire  started  up 
in  the  flies.  The  double  octette  was  on  the  stage,  and  the 
pale  moonlight  scene   was   on.     After  I  had  asked  the 


SPECTACLE  DESCRIBED   BY  THE   RESCUED. 

audieuce  to  be  quiet,  I  ordered  the  asbestos  curtain  low- 
ered. The  men  obeyed,  but  the  curtain  stuck  and  did  not 
come  down.  After  that  I  hardly  know  what  happened. 
A  great  gust  of  wind,  probably  caused  by  the  opening  of 
the  front  doors,  swept  a  cloud  of  flame  into  the  theatre. 
Quick  as  a  flashlight  the  many  gauze  drops  flared  up,  and 
the  fittings  of  the  house  began  to  smoulder. 

WARNS    CHORUS    GIRLS. 

N  I  rushed  into  the  dressing-rooms,  and  told  the  girls 
to  run  for  their  lives.  Then  I  ran  for  my  five-year-old 
boy,  who  was  still  in  the  wings,  and  managed  to  escape 
justin  time.  There  was  no  explosion — of  that  I  am  sure. 
Some  disarrangement  of  the  electrical  apparatus  must 
have  first  started  the  blaze,  but  how  it  came  about  I  can- 
not imagine.  It  all  seems  like  a  horrible  nightmare,  and 
I  can't  persuade  myself  that  I  am  awake." 

When  Mr.  Foy,  still  wearing  his  stage  make-up,  hur- 
ried in  the  Randolph  street  entrance  of  the  Sherman  House 
with  his  son,  he  met  his  wife,  who  was  just  starting  in 
search  of  him.  She  burst  into  tears  as  she  embraced 
him,  exclaiming,  "Thank  God,  you  are  safe."  Chief 
Electrician  Archie  Bernard  insisted  that  he  was  at  an 
absolute  loss  to  account  for  the  origin  of  the  fire. 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  how  it  started/  he 
reiterated  time  and  again,  "  but  I  do  not  believe  that  there 
was  any  explosion." 

That  there  was  no  explosion  was  also  insisted  on  by 
Stage  Fireman  William  C.  Sailer,  who  was  standing  but 
twenty  feet  away  from  the  electric  searchlight  which 
caused  the  fire,  and  who  rang  down  the  asbestos  curtain. 

"  This  electric  searchlight  was  about  ten  feet  above 
the  stage  and  at  the  right  of  the  stage  facing  the  house/' 


380  SPECTACLE  DESCRIBED  BY  THE  RESCUED. 

said  Sailer.  "  I  was  not  more  than  twenty  feet  away  and 
I  suddenly  saw  a  kind  of  flash,  but  there  was  no  explo- 
sion. In  an  instant  one  of  the  foliage  curtains  was  ablaze. 
"  I  rang  down  the  asbestos  curtain  right  away  and 
then  seized  an  extinguishing  appliance.  I  hurled  this  and 
three  others  at  the  searchlight,  but  it  was  too  high  for  me. 
In  the  meantime  the  asbestos  curtain  had  come  rolling 
down  part  way,  but  for  the  first  time  it  refused  to  come 
all  the  way.  It  stuck  above  our  heads,  and  I  and  others 
made  frantic  jumps  at  it  to  try  to  bring  it  down.  We 
failed. 

EMPLOYES    IN    PERIL. 

a  By  this  time  it  seemed  that  the  whole  of  the  fly 
curtains  were  a  whirl  of  flame,  and  we  rushed  to  the  stage 
exits  facing  on  Dearborn  street.  We  were  piled  up  there 
in  a  mad,  struggling  mass  for  a  few  seconds,  until  the 
bolts  at  the  top  could  be  undone,  and  then  we  poured  out 
with  a  fierce  rush.     What  caused  the  fire  I  cannot  say." 

"A  flash,  an  explosion,  then  pandemonium;  that's 
all  there  was  to  it,  and  that  too  quick  to  realize  what  had 
occurred."  With  these  words  Lem  Savage,  one  of  the 
stage  hands,  described  the  calamity  as  seen  by  him  on  the 
stage.  "  With  the  explosion  the  lights  on  the  stage  went 
out  and  the  glass  dropped  out  of  the  skylight.  What  else 
occurred  I  do  not  know,  because  with  Joseph  J.  Hamilton, 
another  one  of  our  boys,  we  rushed  to  the  basement  to 
rescue  the  eighteen  children  down  there  awaiting  their 
turn.     I  believe  we  got  most  of  them  out." 

Joseph  Hamilton,  another  one  of  the  stage  hands, 
said  all  the  credit  for  saving  the  children  in  the  basement 
belonged  to  his  fellow-worker,  Savage,  and  William  C. 
Sailer,  the  theatre  fireman,  stationed  on  the  stage.     u  The 


SPECTACLE  DESCRIBED  BY  THE  RESCUED.  381 

moment  the  explosion  occurred  Sailer  grabbed  hand  gren- 
ades and  began  throwing  them  into  the  fire,"  said  Hamil- 
ton, "  and  when  he  saw  that  was  not  putting  out  the  fire, 
he  tried  to  put  it  out  with  his  hands,  and  burned  both 
hands  pretty  badly.  Sailer  is  the  hero  of  the  stage  work- 
ers and  the  bravest  man  I  know." 

SPARKS    ARE    BLAMED. 

A  member  of  the  stage  staff  of  the  Olympic  Theatre, 
who  hurried  into  the  Iroquois  as  soon  as  he  heard  the 
alarm  given,  gave  the  following  explanation  of  the  catas- 
trophe : 

"  Sparks  from  calcium  lights,  which  were  being  oper- 
ated up  in  the  flies  to  illuminate  the  stage,  caused  the  fire. 
The  lamps  were  turned  upward,  so  that  the  sparks  from 
the  carbons  fell  upon  one  of  the  inner  curtains.  The 
flames  ran  along  this,  and  spread  like  a  flash  to  the  other 
gauzy  drops  with  which  the  loft  was  crowded.  There 
must  have  been  more  than  one  hundred  thin,  flimsy  drap- 
eries, which  were  used  in  the  many  tableaux  and  transfor- 
mation scenes  of  the  extravaganza.  Through  these  the 
fire  shot  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye;  the  fastenings  and 
ropes  burned  away,  and  the  entire  mass  fell  upon  the  stage 
in  a  burst  of  smoke  and  sparks.  The  sound  of  this  fall 
must  have  been  the  '  explosion  '  which  many  people  assert 
they  heard.'' 

Herbert  Cawthorne,  who  played  the  part  of  Pat  Shaw 
in  the  extravaganza,  took  an  active  part  in  saving  the 
chorus  girls  and  the  others  of  the  cast.  After  the  heat 
had  driven  him  from  the  building  he  made  two  attempts  to 
re-enter  his  dressing-rooms  and  save  some  of  his  property, 
but  was  prevented  by  the  firemen.  In  his  stage  costume, 
and  suffering  severely  from  the  cold,  he  took  refuge  in  a 


382  SPECTACLE   DESCRIBED  BY  THE  RESCUED. 

store  at  47  Dearborn  street,  where  lie  told  the  following 
story : 

"  I  am  positive  that  a  calcium  light  started  the  fire, 
for  they  were  being  used  to  illuminate  the  stage  for  the 
song  c  In  the  Pale  Moonlight/  when  the  panic  started. 
While  I  was  standing  in  the  wings  on  the  left  side  of  the 
stage,  a  peculiar  sputtering  from  the  lights  caused  me  to 
look  up.  Above  the  stage,  and  perhaps  twelve  feet  above 
the  top  of  the  proscenium  arch,  was  a  swinging  platform, 
from  which  twelve  lights  were  operated.  The  curtain  was 
blazing  slightly,  and  I  at  once  thought  that  the  sparks 
from  one  of  the  calciums  had  ignited  it.  I  glanced  at  the 
stage  and  saw  that  the  song  was  being  carried  through, 
and  that  most  of  the  company  had  not  noticed  the  blaze. 

ASBESTOS  CURTAIN  FAILS  TO  WORK. 

"  At  the  same  moment  the  fireman  stationed  behind 
the  scenes  rushed  up  with  a  patent  fire  extinguisher,  but 
the  stream  went  wide  of  the  place  where  the  flames  were 
flickering.  While  he  was  attempting  to  make  an  effective 
use  of  the  machine  the  flames  suddenly  swirled  down. 
Eddie  Foy  shouted,  l  Lower  the  asbestos  curtain,'  and  the 
stage  hands  obeyed,  but  the  fastening  must  have  burned 
away,  for  it  did  not  move.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  stage 
fireman  might  have  averted  the  calamity  if  he  had  not 
been  over-excited. 

"  The  500  persons  behind  the  scenes  took  the  event 
calmly  enough  and  hurried  out  in  their  make-up.  Some 
of  the  young  women  went  out  in  the  cold  only  partly 
attired,  having  had  absolutely  no  time  to  throw  a  bit  of 
clothing  over  their  shoulders. " 

There  were  180  drop  scenes  and  draperies  hung  in 
the.  fly-loft  pf  the  theatre,  and  the  drapery  which  caught 


SPECTACLE   DESCRIBED   BY  THE  RESCUED.  383 

fire  first  probably  blazed  for  a  full  minute  before  it  was 
noticed.  Then  Stage  Manager  Carlson  ordered  the  men 
in  the  fly  gallery  to  lower  it,  but  in  their  confusion  they 
pulled  it  up,  and  the  flames  spread  to  the  other  hangings. 
The  men  in  the  loft  barely  had  time  to  climb  down  before 
the  general  conflagration.  Stage  Manager  Carlson  checked 
up  the  list  of  players  at  five  o'clock  and  found  that  none 
was  missing.  A  few  were  slightly  burned  and  injured  by 
falling  scenery. 

HEROIC  ACTS  OF  ASSISTANCE. 

Innumerable  acts  of  heroism  were  performed  in  assist- 
ing people  from  the  theatre.  Persons  who  were  seated 
next  to  each  other,  or  in  the  same  row,  in  the  first  or 
second  balcony,  met  with  terrible  experiences.  True, 
most  of  them  were  suffocated  or  trampled  to  death,  but 
others  got  out  with  only  slight  burns  or  scratches. 
Within  a  few  seconds  after  the  crowd  began  fighting  its 
way  from  the  smoke-filled  auditorium  men  were  at  work 
endeavoring  to  assist  those  who  appeared  to  be  in  the 
worse  plight. 

Standing  out  above  all  the  fortunate  circumstances 
surrounding  a  disaster  about  which  there  were  so  few 
hopeful  features  were  the  efforts  of  several  painters  and 
calciminers  who  were  at  work  on  a  recitation  room  on  the 
third  floor  of  the  Northwestern  University  Building, 
facing  the  alley  across  from  the  wrecked  theatre.  The 
men  were  busily  engaged  when  the  screams  of  affrighted 
stage  hands  and  actors  drew  their  attention.  Smoke  was 
pouring  out  of  the  apertures  opposite  the  third  balcony 
of  the  Iroquois  Theatre.  In  a  moment  the  panes  of  glass 
were  smashed  and  frantic  individuals  appeared,  shouting 
and  praying  for  aid.     The  few  fire  escape  platforms  were 


384  SPECTACLE  DESCRIBED  BY  THE  RESCUED. 

immediately  filled.     The  iron  ladders  had  not  been  pt& 
in  place. 

As  the  fire  gained  headway  within  the  stage  space 
and  as  it  swept  over  the  mass  of  people  crowding  toward 
Ifche  Randolph  Street  entrances  the  crush  of  humanity  in 
£he  upper  balconies  near  the  alleyway  was  redoubled. 
The  strain  had  to  come  soon.  And  it  did  come,  with 
dreadful  results.  People  began  tumbling  from  windows 
to  the  stone-paved  alleyway.  The  women,  children  and 
even  the  men  who  were  forced  into  the  balconies,  were  so 
pushed  that  they  saw  death  in  front  and  behind.  Many 
leaped  into  the  air  and  were  killed  by  the  concussion. 

Firemen,  now  on  the  scene,  spread  a  net,  which  some 
of  the  Iroquois  ushers  helped  to  hold,  and  a  few  dropped 
into  this  and  were  only  slightly  hurt.  But  as  seconds 
flew  the  concentration  of  human  energy  at  one  or  two 
points  in  the  upper  rear  part  of  the  building  became 
indescribable. 

MAKE   BRIDGE   OF   PLANK. 

"  Smash  in  that  window,"  yelled  one  of  the  decora- 
tors. u  Smash  in  the  window  and  run  one  of  these  planks 
across  into  one  of  the  theatre  windows.  Move  fast  or 
hundreds  will  be  killed." 

Planks  that  had  been  used  as  scaffolding  in  exterior 
work  and  were  piled  in  the  room  were  seized.  One  plank 
was  shoved  across  within  a  minute  after  the  worst  crush 
in  the  upper  part  of  the  theatre  was  noticed.  No  sooner 
was  it  in  place  than  people  began  crawling  across  it. 
Women,  hysterical,  started  over  the  narrow  board,  and 
though  encouraged  by  those  at  the  other  end,  lost  their 
grip  in  many  instances  and  fell.  Probably  a  dozen  were 
killed  in  this  manner.     But,  as  in  the  Newhall  House  fire 


SPECTACLE  DESCRIBED  BY  THE  RESCUED. 

in  Milwaukee,  twenty  years  ago,  the  plank  walk,  slippery 
as  it  was,  meant  life  to  probably  three  score.  Three; 
planks  were  eventually  in  place,  and  then  firemen  ap 
peared  and  walked  over  and  helped  or  carried  people  out. 
Many  of  the  suffocated  were  brought  over  into  the  uni 
versity  building  and  were  treated  by  physicians. 

By  five  o'clock  the  catastrophe  was  at  its  zenith,  and 
it  was  recognized  that  all  left  within  the  theatre  were 
lost.  Then  it  was  that  firemen  sought  out  the  scorched 
bodies  in  the  upper  balconies.  A  rope  was  used,  and  as  a 
body  was  obtained  it  was  fastened  to  the  rope  and  pulled 
across  the  alley  on  the  plank.  Ambulances  removed  the 
dead  to  the  morgue  as  fast  as  possible. 

DEAD    SEEN    EVERYWHERE. 

In  the  lower  part  of  the  auditorium,  in  front  of  the 
theatre  and  in  the  rear,  the  dead  seemed  to  be  every 
where. 

William  Quigley,  chief  usher  in  the  top  balcony, 
described  the  scene  in  this  way  : 

11  There  was  a  flash  of  fire  on  the  stage,  then  smoke, 
then  a  cry  of  fire,  and  then  the  rush.  It  all  seemed  to 
come  at  once,  although  I  am  told  efforts  were  made  to 
stop  the  panic.  My  gallery  was  filled  to  its  capacity,  and 
not  a  few  people  were  standing.  I  closed  the  doors  to 
reassure  the  crowd  that  no  danger  was  imminent  if  they 
kept  cool.  But  everyone  seemed  crazed  with  fear.  I 
jumped  up  and  helped  women  and  children  out.  Many 
rushed  to  the  fire  escapes,  but  stood  there  dazed.  Then 
the  crowd  began  to  push  them  over.  I  helped  carry  out 
forty  bodies.  Sometimes  we  had  to  brush  aside  a  dozen 
dead  bodies  to  get  at  a  living  person." 

William   Corbett  known  about    town   as   il  Smiley " 

N.Y.  25 


386  SPECTACLE  DESCRIBED   BY  THE  RESCUED, 

Corbett,  was  one  who  rushed  into  the  theatre  to  the  top 
floor  and  helped  fainting  and  helpless  women  out. 
Waiters  in  Thompson's  restaurant,  next  door  to  the 
theatre,  raised  a  ladder  from  the  roof  of  a  shed  to  a  fire 
escape  landing  at  the  north  end  of  the  alley  and  helped  at 
least  fifteen  people  to  the  ground  in  this  way. 

CARRIES    OUT   CRIPPLED    WIFE. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  G.  Bolte  and  their  three 
children  were  in  the  first  balcony  and  had  an  exciting 
experience.  Mrs.  Bolte  is  a  cripple,  and  her  husband, 
who  is  a  dry  goods  commission  merchant  living  in  Win- 
netka,  picked  her  up  and  started  for  the  exit  on  the  north 
side.  He  called  to  the  three  children,  Willard  and  Guy, 
boys  of  eighteen  and  fifteen,  to  follow  and  to  take  care  of 
their  sister,  Linda,  a  girl  of  thirteen.  Linda,  however, 
was  so  frightened  that  she  started  in  the  opposite  direc- 
tion and  the  family  soon  became  separated.  Mrs.  Bolte 
managed  to  reached  the  fire  escape,  where  she  was  soon 
rescued  by  the  firemen.  Mr.  Bolte  and  the  boys  made 
their  escape  by  the  exit,  but  were  unable  to  find  Linda. 

Mrs.  Grant  Williams  and  two  children  of  Jefferson 
Park  were  in  the  west  side  of  the  theatre.  As  they 
started  for  the  door  they  were  thrown  down  and  were  in 
danger  of  being  crushed,  when  a  man  assisted  them  to 
their  feet  and  accompanied  them  to  the  exit. 

One  of  the  escapes  was  that  of  Miss  Millie  Overlock 
of  Virginia,  a  young  woman  who  was  visiting  A.  L. 
Thomas,  of  Lord  &  Thomas.  Miss  Overlock's  com- 
panion, Remington  Thomas,  made  an  heroic  effort  to 
escape  with  her,  but  near  the  door  the  two  became  sepa- 
rated, and  Thomas,  who  is  eighteen  years  old,  is  among 
the  missing. 


SPECTACLE  DESCRIBED   BY  THE   RESCUED.  387 

Foremost  among  the  remarkable  escapes  was  that  of 
little  Winnie  Gallagher,  twelve  years  old,  of  4925 
Michigan  avenue.  The  girl  occupied  a  seat  in  the  third 
row  from  the  front  on  the  main  floor.  Unassisted  the 
girl  made  her  way  through  the  surging  mass  of  terror- 
stricken  persons  and  escaped.  When  she  reached  the 
street  her  clothing  had  been  torn  into  shreds.  In  the 
excitement  in  the  street  she  was  pushed  about  in  the 
crowds  and  finally  was  taken  to  Central  station  by  a 
newsboy.  The  boy  had  taken  off  his  overcoat  and 
wrapped  it  about  the  girl. 

Mrs.  Emanuel  Buxbaum  with  her  two  daughters, 
Myra  and  Louise,  and  their  grandparents,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Abraham  Kuh,  were  seated  six  rows  back  from  the  front 
when  the  panic  began.  Cautioning  his  family  to  hold 
together,  Mr.  Kuh  took  one  of  the  children  in  his  arms 
while  Airs.  Buxbaum  carried  the  other  one,  and  the  party 
managed  to  struggle  to  the  open  air. 

POLICEMEN  JOIN    IN    RESCUE. 

John  Kesler  and  William  Coles,  policemen,  were 
among  the  first  to  participate  in  the  work  of  rescue. 
Keeler,  passing  the  theatre,  saw  smoke  coming  from  the 
main  entrance  and  turned  in  the  first  alarm.  Returning 
to  the  theatre  he  was  joined  by  Coles,  and  the  two  carried 
a  dozen  people  down  from  the  balcony  before  overcome  by 
smoke.  Keeler  and  Coles  thought  a  hundred  people 
escaped  from  the  first  balcony  uninjured.  Later  they 
carried  bodies  from  the.  second  balcony  down  the  fire 
escapes  in  the  alley. 

"  They  were  climbing  over  each  other  in  the 
balcony,"  said  Keeler.     "  It  was  an  awful  sight." 

Frank   Slosson   and    his   daughter,   from  Kenosha, 


388  SPECTACLE  DESCRIBED  BY  THE  RESCUED. 

Wis.,  barely  escaped  with  their  lives.  In  getting  out  of 
the  theatre  Mr.  Slosson  received  a  severe  scalp  wound 
from  a  piece  of  falling  timber,  while  his  daughter's 
clothing  was  torn. 

SENDS    LITTLE    GIRLS    HOME. 

W.  H.  Newcomb  of  Evanston,  was  standing  on  the 
east  side  of  State  street,  opposite  the  alley  leading  to  the 
theatre,  waiting  for  a  car,  when  he  saw  smoke  and  heard 
shrieks  of  women  coming  from  the  second  story.  He  ran 
across  the  street  and  had  just  started  to  go  up  the  alley 
when  he  met  a  crowd  of  people,  mostly  women,  without 
hats  or  wraps,  coming  toward  State  street.  Among  these 
he  noticed  four  little  girls  shivering  and  crying  with 
terror.  He  took  them  into  the  Burton  Building,  secured 
a  cab  and  sent  them  home. 

Miss  Gregg  said  :  "  We  were  sitting  eleven  rows  back 
from  the  stage  and  the  second  act  had  just  begun  when 
the  curtain  began  to  blaze  up.  Then  an  awful  rush  for 
•".he  exits  began.  I  caught  one  of  my  feet  in  a  seat,  but 
with  the  aid  of  my  companions  was  able  to  loosen  myself. 
There  were  six  of  us  in  the  party,  and  when  we  reached 
the  fire  escape  at  the  east  side  of  the  theatre  I  gave  one 
look  back  and  saw  women  and  children  in  a  great  mass 
surging  toward  the  different  exists,  all  tumbling  over  each 
other.  One  woman  was  in  flames.  We  reached  the  alley 
and  were  rescued  by  Mr.  Newcomb.' ' 

"  Harold  Dyrenforth,  Chicago  representative  of  the 
New  York  Life  Insurance  Company,  was  among  the  num- 
ber who  spent  an  agonized  night  hunting  for  lost  ones. 
His  two  little  daughters,  Ruth  and  Helen,  aged  fourteen 
and  eight  years  respectively,  went  to  the  theatre  accom- 
panied by  the  maid,  Alma  Erland,     They  occupied  seats 


SPECTACLE   DESCRIBED   BY   THE   RESCUED. 

in  the  eighth  row  of  the  first  balcony,  and  the   efforts  of 
their  parents  to  find  them  proved  unavailing. 

"  Rev.  J.  P.  Brushingham,  pastor  of  the  First  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church,  was  at  the  North westen  University 
Building  when  the  fire  broke  out. 

u  '  It  was  awful,'  said  Dr.  Brushingham.  '  The  scenes  of 
grief  were  too  terrible  to  witness.  I  shudder  to  think  of 
entering  a  crowded  hall  again.  The  sight  of  those  piles 
of  dead  and  the  tears  and  screams  of  anxious  ones  seek- 
ing their  loved  ones  was  heartrending. ' 

u  Alexander  H.  Revell  had  sent  his  daughter  Mar- 
garet, with  a  little  friend,  Elizabeth  Harris,  in  charge  of 
a  maid,  to  see  the  performance.  News  of  the  fire  reached 
him  at  his  store  not  five  minutes  after  the  blaze  started, 
and,  jumping  into  a  cab,  he  drove  madly  to  the  scene. 

u  By  the  greatest  good  fortune  one  of  the  first  persons 
he  encountered  was  the  hysterical  maid,  who  informed 
him  that  his  daughter  and  her  friend  were  safe.  Mr.  Re- 
vell then  hastened  into  the  theatre  and  aided  in  the  rescue 
work. 

" '  I  worked  in  the  upper  balconies,'  he  said  later. 
*  The  sight  of  those  poor  women  and  their  little  children, 
with  clenched  fists  raised  as  though  trying  to  beat  their 
way  to  safety  is  too  horribe  for  me  to  attempt  to  describe. 
But  I  thought  of  how  my  own  little  one  had  been  saved, 
and  I  conquered  my  horror,  and  did  all  I  could  to  save 
those  who  were  not  past  saving.  I  assisted  the  police  and 
firemen  in  carrying  down  more  than  twenty  bodies.'  " 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

DESPERATE  STRUGGLES  TO  ESCAPE  DEATH. 

r"PHE  scene  was  almost  too  heartrending  to  be  believed. 
*  We  must  go  back  to  the  convulsions  of  nature  for  a 
more  dreadful  story  of  swift  death  than  occurred  in  the 
Iroquois  theatre.  There  have  been  greater  horrors  by 
flood,  by  volcanoes,  by  the  uprising  of  nature's  forces,  but 
if  there  was  ever  a  more  appalling  chapter  traced  to  man's 
hand  history  fails  to  tell  it  save  in  the  records  of  battle 
alone.  Of  fire  horrors,  as  they  are  commonly  known, 
certainly  nothing  like  it  ever  occurred  in  this  country  or 
any  other. 

There  an  ornate  million-dollar  theatre,  assured,  of 
course,  as  thoroughly  fireproof.  Within  were  women  and 
children,  and  a  few  men — a  typical,  merry,  holiday  matinee 
audience.  One  thousand  were  in  the  galleries.  There 
were  many  entrances  offering  the  usual  number  of  exits, 
all,  of  course,  sufficient  to  depopulate  the  building,  in  case 
of  fire.  We  have  seen  that  often  enough  on  the  pro- 
grammes. There  were  five  men  in  uniforms  in  the  aisles, 
provided  by  the  city  government.  It  was  a  pretty,  happy 
scene.  There  was  a  darkened  stage,  there  were  a  dozen 
singing  maidens  and  a  popular  comedian  singing  a 
popular  air. 

Now,  what  happened  ?  A  fuse  or  two  blew  from  a 
calcium  light  that  made  the  pale  moon.  The  spark  struck 
the  ginger-bread  scenery ;  the  scenery  blazed  to  the  stage. 

And  then !  Well,  then  in  five  minutes  this  costly 
playhouse  became  a  red  urn  of  fire,  and  a  great  heart- 
breaking cry,  such  a  cry  as  splits  a  stone  of  a  Caesar's 
heart,  arose  in  that  building.  It  was  the  cry  of  a  man  or 
390 


STRUGGLES  TO  ESCAPE  DEATH.  891 

woman,  clinging  to  a  storm-swept  raft,  who  sees  the  others 
go  down  before  them.  The  scene  was  something  that  no 
human  pen  can  tell.  A  circle  of  flame  swept  from  the 
stage  around  the  balcony  and  galleries,  driven  into  a 
whirlwind  by  six  great  automatic  elevators  and  the  open 
doors.  It  moved  faster  than  the  calcium  of  the  pale 
moonlight  and  as  fierce  as  a  blazing  meteor. 

There  was  a  wild,  raging,  trampling  rush  for  life.  It 
is  not  easy  to  fancy  what  one  would  do  in  such  a  scene, 
but  all  seemingly  acted  together.  Men  and  women  fought 
•like  unleashed  hounds  for  the  first  exit ;  little  children 
were  crushed  in  the  arms  of  their  mothers ;  clothes  and 
jewels  were  torn  from  the  owners,  lorgnettes  and  purses 
were  tossed  on  the  floors. 

BATTLE    FOR    LIFE    HARDEST    IN    BALCONIES. 

This  was  the  first  scene.  On  the  main  floor  the  panic 
was  quite  as  fierce  as  elsewhere,  but  escape  was  easier. 
It  was  in  the  balconies  that  the  battle  for  life  was  hardest, 
and  there,  indeed,  was  scarcely  a  chance  for  escape.  The 
galleries  were,  within  no  time  at  all,  heaped  with  a  help- 
less, struggling,  insane  mass  of  people.  As  the  flaming 
circle  crept  higher  and  higher,  choking  the  audience  with 
black  masses  of  smoke,  many  were  literally  too  paralyzed 
for  movement,  so  that  at  the  end  and  after  it  was  all  over, 
there  was  the  strange,  grewsome  picture  of  a  score  or  more 
dead  leaning  silently  over  the  rails  as  if  still  glancing  at. 
the  play. 

But  down  at  the  doorway  it  was  a  wave  backward  of 
human  beings  fighting  for  the  blessing  of  life.  What 
heroism  was  shown  of  man  for  woman  or  of  woman  for 
children  will  never  be  known,  for  the  tragedy  was  but  of 
minutes. 


392  STRUGGLES  TO  ESCAPE  DEATH. 

There  was  the  sweep,  the  crush,  the  weak  falling  and 
the  strong  mounting,  the  inevitable  desperate  instinct 
which  accompanies  the  grim  law  of  self-preservation  ;  then 
the  horror  of  flaming  death  behind  and  crushing  death 
before ;  then  the  still  outreaching  flames,  and,  finally,  a 
mass  of  piled-up  humanity,  a  few  of  the  living  above  and 
the  dead  far  below. 

JUMPED  FROM  GALLERIES  TO  CERTAIN  DEATH. 

The  details  of  the  awful  happenings  inside  have 
never  been  exceeded  in  the  awfulness  of  sudden  death  in 
agony  in  all  the  history  of  modern  times.  From  the  bal- 
cony and  galleries,  where  there  was  no  more  safety  from 
jhe  flame  heat  ascending  than  on  the  floor  below,  people 
hurled  themselves  downward  in  their  terror.  All,  or  nearly 
all,  of  those  in  the  front  met  a  fearful  death.  Firemen, 
the  fire  practically  extinguished,  found  they  were  but 
pouring  water  on  heaps  of  human  beings. 

What  scenes  were  found  within  the  heated  vault 
which  had  been  a  theatre  very  few  of  the  firemen  or  police- 
men who  first  entered  could  explain  intelligently.  Some 
of  them  cried  and  some  who  did  not  cry  could  not  talk  of 
anything  well.  They  knew  only  that  they  had  found  the 
passages  to  the  theatre  clogged  in  front,  and  upstairs  and 
down,  by  bodies. 

Of  this  tragedy  within,  there  will  be  many  stories 
told  by  survivors  in  hysterical  manner,  but  it  will  never 
be  anything  to  them  but  five  minutes  of  nerveless  terror. 
The  scenes  that  followed  may  be  told  by  observers  with 
more  intelligence. 

The  smoke  poured  from  the  building  in  thick  masses 
and,  penetrating  through  it,  one  saw  the  right  marble 
staircase  filled  with  a  crush  of  human  beings.     There  was 


STRUGGLES  TO   ESCAPE  DEATH.  393 

a  mute  and  awful  silence.     Arms  were  extended  between 
bodies  which  were  heaped  on  one  another. 

The  crushed  and  bleeding  head  of  a  child  was  lying 
on  the  edge  of  the  staircase  and  above  were  massed  bodies 
of  men  and  women.  Small  curls  of  steam  and  smoke 
arose  from  them.  Then,  as  the  work  of  carrying  out  the 
bodies  followed,  a  pitiful  cry  arose  occasionally  in  the 
mass,  and  this  aroused  the  energetic  aid  of  policemen  and 
firemen  combined.  Bodies,  scorched  and  lacerated  were 
taken  out  by  dozens. 

RESTAURANT    TURNED    INTO    A    MORGUE. 

Outside  the  theatre  it  seemed  as  if  the  great  office 
buildings,  the  stores  and  restaurants  had  been  emptied  in 
a  flash  at  the  call  of  suffering  humanity.  There  will  never 
be  such  a  scene  in  Thompson's  restaurant  again.  Tables 
that  had  but  a  few  hours  before  been  surrounded  by  diners 
became  slabs  of  a  morgue.  The  scorched  and  smoking 
bodies  were  piled  dozens  deep,  while  dozens  of  physicians, 
carrying  all  their  appliances,  were  rushing  from  one  table 
to  another  to  find  one  thread  of  life  to  relieve. 

It  was  a  ghastly,  horror-striking  scene,  and  the  very 
orderliness  of  it  made  it  more  ghastly ;  it  had  occurred  so 
suddenly,  during  the  holiday  season  of  a  great  city. 

Not  less  appalling  and  in  a  more  dreadful  though  in 
a  more  quiet  way,  was  the  scene  when  the  scores  of  dead 
were  removed,  some  to  their  homes,  but  most  to  the  morgue 
for  identification.  Policemen  and  firemen  penetrated  the 
gathered  guards  to  carry  away  the  dead  not  yet  identified, 
and  these  comprised  the  majority.  They  came  in  such 
vehicles  as  they  could  force  into  service,  and  out  from  the 
extemporized  morgue  they  carried  the  bodies  of  the  dead. 
There  were  other  morgues  and  there  were  other  dead. 


S94  STRUGGLES  TO   ESCAPE  DEATH. 

The  construction  of  the  theatre  is  such  that  the 
space  between  the  balcony  and  gallery  seats  and  the  stage 
is  less  than  fifty  feet.  With  the  flimsy  scenery  of  '  Mr.  Blue 
Beard '  in  flames,  the  draft  from  the  stage  to  the  many 
exits  drew  a  solid  sheet  of  fire  on  the  fleeing  spectators. 
To  those  in  the  front  rows  death  was  absolutely  certain. 
As  the  exits  became  choked  and  the  unfortunate  victims 
were  piled  up  ten  and  twelve  deep,  they  formed  an  im- 
pregnable wall.  With  the  flames  lapping  them  from 
behind  and  the  seething,  fighting  mass  choking  the  door- 
ways, they  were  overcome. 

DESPERATE  STRUGGLE  FOR  LIFE. 

How  these  poor  unfortunates  fought  to  escape  their 
terribly  lacerated  and  scorched  bodies  showed  after  the 
fire.  The  failure  of  the  asbestos  drop  curtain  was  the 
cause  of  the  terrible  loss  of  life.  Had  it  worked,  or  had 
it  been  lowered,  the  flames  would  have  been  confined  to 
the  stage. 

Why  the  asbestos  curtain  was  not  lowered  there 
seems  to  be  no  rational  explanation.  Some  say  it  was 
lowered.  Others  say  that  it  failed  to  work  entirely.  And 
still  others  claim  that  it  reached  within  six  or  seven  feet 
of  the  stage,  and  that  the  frantic  efforts  of  the  stage 
hands  to  drag  it  down  failed. 

In  the  excitement  it  must  have  been  forgotten  en- 
tirely. The  frantic  rush  to  safety  drove  every  idea  out  of 
the  minds  of  all  within  the  theatre  and  on  the  stage  ex- 
cept that  of  personal  safety.  In  the  mad  dash  it  was 
every  one  for  himself.  The  torn,  bleeding,  bruised,  and 
blackened  corpses  bore  silent  testimony  to  the  terrible 
conflict  that  must  have  been  waged  for  a  few  minutes 
within  the  playhouse. 


STRUGGLES  TO   ESCAPE  DEATH.  3^«^ 

The  theatre  was  almost  in  darkness  in  the  second 
act.  The  stage  was  lighted  only  by  the  soft  artificial 
beams  from  the  calcium,  which  lent  beauty  to  the  scene 
during  the  singing  of '  The  Pale  Moonlight '  by  the  dou- 
ble sextet.  A  flash  of  flame  shot  across  through  the 
flimsy  draperies,  started  by  a  spark  from  the  calcium. 
A  show  girl  screamed  hysterically.  The  singers  stopped 
short,  but  with  presence  of  mind  the  director  increased  the 
volume  of  the  music. 

Scores  rose  in  their  seats  as  the  stage  manager 
shouted  an  order  for  the  continuation  of  the  song.  It  was 
obeyed  with  feeble  hearts.  The  brave  girls  forced  the 
words  from  their  throats  until  two  of  their  number  swooned. 
The  audience  could  no  longer  be  controlled,  and  this 
added  new  horror  to  the  ghastly  spectacle.  To  a  score  of 
those  who  had  sought  to  jump  from  the  gallery  the  smoke 
was  kind  for  it  brought  death  more  quickly.  Their  bodies 
were  found  hanging  over  the  rail,  their  faces  distorted  with 
agonies  of  death. 

FIREMEN    QUICK,    BUT   TOO    LATE. 

From  a  dozen  sources  the  alarm  went  to  fire  head- 
quarters, but  before  the  vanguard  of  engines  wheeled  into 
Randolph  street  a  dense  crowd  had  gathered  in  front  of 
the  theatre.  The  firemen  were  quick  to  act,  but  hundreds 
of  bodies  were  already  motionless  within  the  walls  of  the 
playhouse  so  recently  opened. 

An  awe-stricken  crowd  stood  fixedly  as  those  who  had 
been  nearest  the  doors  rushed  out,  their  eyes  wide  with 
fear.  These  yelled  "  Fire ! "  at  the  top  of  their  lungs,  and 
the  cry  was  taken  up  by  the  crowd  and  carried  far  into 
busy  State  street  and  the  other  avenues  of  commerce. 

None   realized    at   that   minute   what  had  occurred. 


£96  STRUGGLES  TO  ESCAPE  DEATH. 

Each  man  asked  his  neighbor  if  there  had  been  loss  of 
life  or  injury.  Not  until  the  first  blackened  and  limp 
body  was  borne  forth  in  the  arms  of  a  policeman  did  the 
enormity  of  the  disaster  begin  to  dawn  on  those  in  the 
street. 

In  fifteen  minutes  nineteen  dead  bodies  were  carried 
out  the  Randolph  street  entrance.  Then  they  came  so 
fast  that  all  count  was  lost.  Many  of  those  first  brought 
out  were  still  alive.  Their  pitiful  moans  struck  terror  to 
the  hearts  of  those  who  witnessed  the  scene. 

AMBULANCES  NOT  ADEQUATE. 

Every  hospital  in  the  city  hurried  ambulances  to  the 
scene,  and  with  them  every  surgeon  who  could  be  spared. 
They  were  as  nothing,  though,  compared  to  the  need. 
Two  and  three,  and  in  many  cases  even  more,  were  hud- 
dled into  the  ambulances  and  hurried  off  to  the  hospitals, 
•  /here  kindlier  attention  could  be  given  them. 

While  the  fire  was  still  blazing  fiercely  in  the  rear  of 
the  playhouse  the  firemen  had  begun  to  carry  out  the 
corpses  in  front.  None  at  that  time  could  have  been  alive 
in  the  smoke-filled  building,  but  the  firemen  fought  on  in 
their  errand  of  mercy,  gropinp-  ,xieir  way  with  lanterns 
that  shed  only  a  dim,  yellow  light  through  the  clouds  of 
smoke. 

The  great  majority  of  those  who  had  occupied  orch- 
estra seats  had  escaped  with  their  lives,  though  scores 
were  badly  hurt  in  the  rush.  Some  were  knocked  down, 
and,  with  broken  limbs,  were  unable  to  rise.  They  had 
been  left  to  die  with  a  number  of  women  who  fainted  from 
fright.  With  these  bodies  were  found  the  corpses  of  those 
who  had  leaped  from  the  balcony  and  gallery. 

In  the  exits  of  the  balcony  and  galleries  the  greatest 


STRUGGLES  TO  ESCAPE  DEATH.  397 

foss  of  life  occurred.  When  the  firemen  went  to  remove 
the  bodies  they  found  one  hundred  or  more  piled  in  indes- 
cribable mass  in  each  place.  The  clothes  were  torn  com- 
pletely away  from  some  of  the  bodies.  Here  and  there  a 
jeweled  hand  protruded  from  the  pile.  All  the  faces  were 
distorted  with  the  death  agonies. 

MOAN  FROM  HEAP  OF  DEAD. 

From  beneath  this  mangled  mass  of  humanity  there 
suddenly  came  the  moan  of  a  woman.  It  was  a  cry  of 
anguish,  not  of  pain.  The  cry,  faint  though  it  was,  pierced 
to  the  very  soul,  sounding  above  the  yells  of  the  firemen, 
the  moans  of  agony  from  within  the  smoke-filled  auditori- 
um, and  the  shrieks  of  grief  maddened  fathers  and  moth- 
ers, sisters  and  brothers  in  the  street  without. 

Trembling  hands  plunged  their  way  into  the  tangle 
of  human  forms,  and  with  a  mighty  effort  pulled  to  the 
surface  the  woman — could  such  a  thing  be  a  human  being  ? 
— from  whose  lips  had  come  the  cry.  The  blackened  lips 
parted,  and  a  fireman  bent  over  her  to  catch  the  words. 

"  My  child,  my  poor  little  boy !  Where  is  he  ?  Oh, 
Ao  bring  him  to  me." 

There,  in  that  awful  hour,  her  baby  bruised  bej^ond 
recognition  in  the  mad  fight  for  life  that  followed  the  first 
flash  of  flame  across  the  stage — there  was  mother  love  up- 
permost.    Again  the  trembling  lips  parted. 

"  Is  he  safe?     Tell  me  he  is  safe  and  I  can  die." 

a  He  is  safe,"  the  fireman  muttered,  and  all  knew  his 
reply  was  best. 

She  died,  and  her  body  was  lifted  tenderly  with  those 
of  the  hundred  others  in  that  one  spot. 

The  calamity  was  so  overwhelming  that  the  firemen 
and  the  policemen  who  were  the  first  to  reach  the  upper 


898  STRUGGLES  TO  ESCAPE  DEATH. 

parts  of  the  house  could  not  realize  its  astounding  extent. 
They  began  by  dragging  a  body  or  two  from  the  terrible 
piles  at  the  head  of  the  stairways,  as  if  they  did  not  know 
the  piles  were  made  of  human  bodies. 

Gradually  the  full  significance  of  the  catastrophe 
dawned  upon  them.  All  the  lights  of  the  theatre  had 
been  extinguished.  The  lanterns  of  the  firemen  cast  only 
a  dim  glow  over  the  piles  of  dead.  From  the  bodies  arose 
small  curls  of  steam.  The  firemen  had  drenched  the  piles 
before  they  knew  they  were  made  up  of  human  corpses. 

CARRYING   AWAY  THE   VICTIMS. 

Then  the  work  of  taking  out  the  inanimate  forms  be- 
gan. There  were  constant  appeals  for  more  help.  The 
bodies  of  little  children,  torn  and  bleeding,  were  tenderly 
lifted,  each  by  a  fireman  or  policeman,  and  carried  to  the 
street  below.  Two  or  three  men  were  needed  to  bear  away 
the  heavier  burdens. 

Every  now  and  then  a  form  faintly  breathing  was 
dragged  out  of  the  pile.  These  were  handled  with  even 
more  tenderness  than  the  others  as  they  were  carried 
down  the  marble  stairway  of  the  gilded  foyer.  Now  and 
then  a  faint  groan  was  heard  coming  from  the  bottom  of 
the  pile.  This  was  the  signal  for  renewed  and  frantic 
efforts  on  the  part  of  the  rescuers  to  untangle  the  terrible 
human  mass. 

As  the  struggle  at  the  door  progressed  the  first  unfor- 
tunates who  fell  there  were  protected  from  suffocation  and 
death  by  fire  by  the  many  layers  of  other  bodies.  This 
soon  became  apparent,  and  every  effort  was  made  to  save 
the  few  who  might  still  be  alive  at  the  bottom. 

In  the  balcony,  scattered  about  the  aisles  and  among 
the  charred  seats,  were  found  many  bodies.     One  mother, 


STRUGGLES  TO   ESCAPE   DEATH. 

clasping  her  child,  was  found  kneeling,  as  if  in  prayer,  with 
her  back  to  the  stage,  from  which  had  come  the  death- 
dealing  sheet  of  flame.  She  had  protected  her  child  from 
the  flames,  but  the  little  one  was  dead  in  the  charred  arms 
of  her  mother. 

As  the  work  of  rescue  progressed  dozens  of  blankets 
were  brought,  and  the  bodies  were  carried  down  in  these. 
The  scene  immediately  after  the  fire  was  got  under  control 
and  the  work  of  rescue  began  was  appalling.  All  the 
gilt  and  tinsel  of  the  theatre,  all  the  silks  and  plushes, 
all  the  rich  hangings,  all  the  frescoes  had  been  wiped  out. 
The  flames  from  the  stage  had  swept  the  entire  theatre 
and  left  their  blight  everywhere. 

The  upholstery  on  many  of  the  seats  was  still  intact, 
though.  But  for  the  failure  of  some  one  to  act,  when 
action  meant  life  for  hundreds,  only  a  few  might  have 
perished.  The  thin  sheet  of  asbestos  that  could  have 
saved  all,  failed. 

BLENDING    OF    GRIEF   AND  JOY. 

In  a  remarkably  short  time,  men  whose  wives  and 
children  had  gone  to  see  "  Mr.  Blue  Beard,''  reached  the 
scene.  Their  grief  was  pitiful.  In  that  mass  of  people 
it  was  a  hopeless  task  to  find  loved  ones.  Through  the 
tiers  of  dead  and  dying  in  the  buildings  all  about  men 
and  women  searched  with  frenzied  faces.  Now  and  again 
a  searcher  would  find  one  for  whom  he  looked.  On* 
could  but  turn  the  face  from  such  scenes. 

Strong  men  threw  themselves  in  the  street  in  their 
grief,  or  in  temporary  morgues  clasped  wife  or  child  to 
their  breasts.  Alone  with  their  dead  many  kneeled  in 
prayer.  In  marked  contrast  was  the  meeting  of  those 
who  had  sought,  with  aching  hearts,  fearing  their  missing 


400  STRUGGLES  TO  ESCAPE  DEATH. 

ones  were  dead.  Their  cries  of  joy  at  the  reunions  were 
mingled  with  the  moans  of  the  disconsolate. 

One  man  pushed  his  way  into  the  lobby  of  the  theatre. 
His  eyes  were  blinded  with  fear  and  he  did  not  see  the 
firemen  pass  out  with  unconscious  forms  in  their  arms. 
Before  a  group  of  men  he  stood  for  a  moment ;  then  asked 
if  any  one  had  been  injured  in  the  fire. 

"  My  wife  and  boy  were  there,"  he  murmured.  "  Did 
every  one  get  out  ?  " 

Tears  came  to  the  eyes  of  the  men  in  the  little  group. 
At  that  instant  five  firemen  staggered  down  the  stairs, 
each  bearing  a  human  form.  One  of  the  men  pointed 
to  them,  and  the  husband  and  father  fell  to  the  floor. 

ESCAPE    OF    GIRL   AGED    ELEVEN, 

Amid  even  such  sad  scenes  the  pickpockets  were  busy. 
The  police  kept  watch  as  best  they  could,  but  the  ghouls 
snatched  many  purses  from  the  dead  and  dying  and 
wrenched  rings  from  the  fingers  that  could  no  longer  offer 
resistance.  Several  of  these  men  were  caught  in  their 
dastardly  work.  They  received  at  the  moment  punish- 
ment all  too  light  for  their  crime.  Only  a  few  were 
arrested  and  taken  to  the  police  station,  where  they  were 
held  to  await  the  course  of  the  law. 

One  of  the  narrow  escapes  in  the  first  rush  was  that 
of  little  Winnie  Gallagher,  eleven  years  old.  The  child; 
who  was  with  her  mother  in  the  third  row  from  the  stage, 
was  abandoned  in  the  mad  rush  for  safety.  She  climbed  to 
the  top  of  the  seat  in  which  her  mother  had  left  her,  and 
stepping  from  one  chair  to  another,  finally  reached  the  door. 
There  she  was  crushed  in  the  crowd  and  all  her  outer 
garments  were  stripped  from  her.  At  the  Central  police 
station  the  child  was  restored  to  her  mother. 


STRUGGLES  TO   ESCAPE  DEATH.  401 

Mrs.  William  Mueller,  was  taken  to  the  Hospital  suf- 
fering with  severe  injuries  about  the  head,  but  upon 
regaining  consciousness  she  sprang  from  the  cot  crying 
for  her  children.  She  had  taken  her  two  children,  five  and 
seven  years  old,  to  the  theatre,  and,  after  falling  to  the 
ground  at  the  exit,  she  had  lost  consciousness  and  did  not 
know  what  had  been  done  with  them. 

While  the  nurses  were  attempting  to  quiet  the  woman 
a  police  ambulauce  arrived  at  the  hospital  with  the  two 
little  girls,  one  of  whom  had  been  injured  about  the  head 
in  a  fall,  while  the  other  was  unhurt.  After  clasping  the 
children  to  her  side  Mrs.  Mueller,  once  more  lost  con- 
sciousness. Florence  Mueller,  who  was  injured  about  the 
fece  and  head,  was  taken   to  another  ward  for  treatment. 

TELLS    HER    EXPERIENCES. 

Later  in  the  evening  Mrs.  Mueller  told  of  her  exper- 
ience in  the  fire :  "  It  all  happened  in  a  few  minutes,"  she 
said  in  a  weak  voice  as  she  drew  the  bandages  from  about 
her  mouth.  "  I  was  in  the  waiting-room  resting  between 
the  first  and  second  acts.  I  returned  to  the  auditorium 
when  the  second  act  opened  and  had  been  in  my  seat 
only  a  few  minutes  when  a  sheet  of  fire  shot  from  the 
stage  and  was  followed  by  confusion  among  the  actors 
and  actresses.  The  flame  immediately  spread  to  the 
hangings  about  the  front  of  the  stage  and  seemed  to 
mount  in  an  instant  to  the  ceiling  of  the  auditorium. 

"  I  grasped  both  of  my  girls  and  started  for  the  front 
doors,  but  the  people  seemed  orderly  and  we  made  good 
progress  until  I  reached  the  exit.  I  can  remember  little 
else." 

One  of  the  victims  of  the  fire  who  escaped  with 
severe  bruises  was  Mrs.  F.  A.  Morgan.     She,  her  little 

N.Y.  26 


402  STRUGGLES  TO  ESCAPE  DEATH. 

son  Warren,  and  her  sister,  Miss  Marcella  Warren  of 
Detroit,  were  in  the  first  balcony.  They  noticed  the 
smoke  when  the  second  act  of  the  play  was  in  progress. 
They  left  their  seats  among  the  first  and  had  reached  the 
vestibule  wThen  the  rush  began.  They  were  thrown  to 
the  floor,  and  after  being  bruised  and  trampled  on  by  the 
rush,  Mrs.  Morgan  escaped.  The  little  boy  was  wrenched 
from  the  crowd  by  his  hair.  His  scalp  was  torn  and  his 
forehead  was  bruised.     Miss  Warren  was  not  found. 

Rushing  madly  down  the  fire  escape  into  the  alley, 
enveloped  in  flames,  D.  A.  Straton  of  Alpena,  Michigan, 
and  his  two  daughters,  Gladys  and  Louise,  fell  insensible 
at  the  foot  of  the  iron  staircase.  During  his  descent  his 
daughters  were  torn  from  him,  but  were  found  later  and 
taken  to  Thompson's  restaurant,  where,  with  the  father, 
their  burns  were  dressed. 

HELPS    CHORUS    GIRLS. 

L.  Day,  residing  at  5  Ashland  Place,  who  occupied  a 
seat  near  the  front,  did  heroic  work  in  rescuing  several 
chorus  girls  who  jumped  from  the  stage  when  the  fire 
broke  out.  Day  escaped  without  a  scratch,  but  his  cloth- 
ing was  literally  torn  from  his  body. 

"  The  second  act  had  just  started  when  sparks  began 
to  rain  down  from  the  top  of  the  stage/'  said  Day.  "  The 
curtain  was  immediately  lowered,  and  some  actor — I 
cannot  recall  who  it  was — stepped  out  from  behind  to 
assure  the  audience  there  was  no  danger.  He  had  but 
uttered  his  first  words  when  the  whole  stage  seemed  in 
flames. 

''The  crowd  began  fighting  frantically  to  gain  the 
street,  and  hundreds  were  trampled  to  death  or  smothered. 
Everybody  appeared  to  be  fighting  his  or  her  way  through 


STRUGGLES  TO   ESCAPE   DEATH 

the  center  aisle,  and  I  had  presence  of  mind  enough  to 
take  one  of  the  side  passages.  I  managed  to  work  my 
way  to  the  door  twice  with  two  women,  but  could  do  no 
more,  and  barely  saved  myself." 

EACH    FOR    HIMSELF. 

Charles  Thompson,  who  was  in  the  third  balcony  when 
the  fire  broke  out,  gave  a  graphic  description  of  the  panic 
which  followed  the  first  wild  rush  for  the  exists. 

"  I  was  in  the  front  row  of  the  balcony  when  the 
stampede  occurred,"  said  Thompson.  "  I  had  a  full  view 
of  the  lower  part  of  the  house,  and  could  see  the  people 
climbing  over  each  other  to  gain  exit  to  the  street  and 
alley.  The  sight  was  horrible.  Children  were  crushed 
beneath  the  feet  of  strong  men,  and  women  threw  up 
their  arms  and  fell  helplessly  to  the  floor. 

"  Nobody  seemed  to  try  to  help  anybody  but  himself 
or  herself.  Several  women  and  young  girls,  as  near  as  I 
could  see  in  the  great  confusion  and  smoke,  leaped  from 
the  balcony  to  the  lower  floor,  and  were  literally  crushed 
upon  the  backs  of  seats.  It  all  occurred  in  an  instant, 
and  I  hardly  know  how  I  escaped  niyself.  Fighting  my 
way  and  simply  crawling  over  the  heads  and  backs  of 
others,  I  gained  exit  through  one  of  the  windows  and  slid 
to  the  street." 

Thompson  said  he  could  not  tell  positively  how  the 
fire  started.  He  says  sparks  began  falling  from  the  upper 
part  of  the  stage  and  flames  immediately  shot  forth  in  the 
form  of  an  explosion,  although  there  was  no  report. 

Soon  after  the  first  alarm  of  fire  was  sounded  a  crowd, 
headed  by  J.  W.  McMeen,  a  Board  of  Trade  clerk,  rushed 
into  the  alley  behind  the  theatre  and  ascended  the  "  drop 
staircase  "  fire-escape  leading  into  the  burning  building. 


404  STRUGGLES  TO  ESCAPE   DEATH. 

The  great  iron  doors  were  evidently  caught  on  the  out- 
side and  held  the  prisoners  within.  McMeen  was  first  to 
reach  the  top  of  the  fire-escape,  and,  tugging  frantically  at 
the  massive  sheets  of  iron,  finally  forced  them  open. 

A  stream  of  humanity  then  poured  forth  with  such 
great  force  that  the  victims  were  thrown  to  the  ground  in 
dozens.  The  screams  and  shrieks  of  women  and  children 
were  heartrending.  A  mass  of  dead  and  dying  were 
piled  high  in  the  alley,  forming  a  human  mattress  for  the 
stream  of  persons  who  followed.  McMeen  escaped  by 
sliding  down  the  balustrade. 

MISS    HAZEL   COULTER'S    STORY. 

Miss  Hazel  Coulter,  the  eighteen-year-old  daughter  of 
John  Coulter,  was  one  of  the  first  to  escape  from  the  build- 
ing. She  was  knocked  down  and  trampled  upon  after 
reaching  Couch  place,  on  the  north  side  of  the  theatre, 
but  sustained  no  serious  injury. 

"  I  was  sitting  in  the  fifth  row  of  seats,  near  the  north 
side  of  the  theatre,  when  the  fire  broke  out,"  said  Miss 
Coulter  in  telling  of  her  escape.  "  When  the  curtain 
lifted  on  the  second  act  I  saw  a  few  tiny  wreaths  of  smoke 
curling  out  from  between  the  curtains  and  a  few  seconds 
later  fire  began  falling  to  the  stage.  The  costumes  of 
many  of  the  women  on  the  stage  caught  fire,  the  play 
stopped  suddenly,  and  for  just  an  instant  everything  was 
deathly  quiet.  Then  the  people  on  the  stage  began  run- 
ning madly  toward  the  wings. 

"  The  whole  audience  seemed  to  scream  at  once  and 
began  fighting  in  the  aisles  and  climbing  over  the  seats. 
The  ushers  hurriedly  threw  open  the  doors  leading  to  the 
alley  and  scores  of  people  surged  through  the  exits. 
Before  I  could  run  the  twenty-five  feet  between  my  seat 


STRUGGLES  TO   ESCAPE  DEATH. 

and  the  exit  the  whole  stage  was  afire  and  the  screams 
and  wails  of  the  terror-stricken  audience  were  deafening. 

"  When  I  leaped  from  the  doorway,  which  was  several 
feet  above  the  ground,  I  fell  upon  several  persons  and  was 
in  turn  fallen  upon  by  others  who  followed  me.  As  soon 
as  I  fell,  several  medical  students  grabbed  me  and  pulled 
me  out  of  the  way." 

The  Sherman  House  was  thrown  open  to  fire  victims 
by  Manager  Abe  Frank,  and  all  the  injured  taken  in  were 
provided  with  rooms  and  medical  attention.  Thirteen 
injured  persons  were  cared  for  at  this  hotel. 

The  first  victims  taken  to  the  hotel  were  H.  H.  Ches- 
ter, wife  and  two  children,  who  were  severely  burned  about 
the  head  and  body.  After  an  examination  the  attending 
physicians  said  they  would  recover.  H.  S.  Van  Ingine 
and  wife  were  severely  burned  and  covered  with  blood 
when  taken  into  the  hotel,  and  their  condition  was  critical. 

From  early  evening  until  long  after  midnight  Rol- 
ston's  morgue  was  besieged  and  overrun  by  hundreds  of 
heartbroken  men  and  women  seeking  friends  or  relatives. 
Lying  so  closely  packed  together  upon  the  floor  in  the 
basement  of  the  morgue  and  in  an  empty  store  adjoining 
that  no  room  was  left  for  a  passageway  were  the  charred 
and  mutilated  bodies  of  183  of  those  who  had  met  their 
deaths  in  the  fire. 

It  was  9  o'clock  before  the  policemen  detailed  to  the 
work  of  removing  from  the  dead  every  possible  mark  of 
identification  had  completed  their  grewsome  task.  Not 
until  then  were  the  griefstricken  people  who  clamored 
piteously  for  admittance  allowed  to  enter  and  search  for 
their  dead.  In  batches  of  a  dozen  at  a  time  thev  were 
permitted  to  file  down  between  the  long  rows  of  bodies 
stretched  out  upon  the  floor. 


THE 


IROQUOIS  THEATRE  FIRE 


CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 


WEDNESDAY  AFTERNOON,   DECEMBER  30,   1903. 


LIST  OF  VICTIMS 


COMPILED    BY 

JOHN    E,    TRAEGER, 

CORONER    OF    COOK    COUNTY,    ILLINOIS, 

FOR    CITY    OF    CHICAGO. 

407 


408  LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE  CHICAGO  HORROR. 

Name.  Age.  Residence.  Occupation.  Identified  by. 

Adamek,  Mrs.  John  „....40...Bartlett,  111 Housewife R.  H.Ostrander. 

Aldridge,  Luella  M'D....44...792  W.  Monroe  St.,  City Housewife Geo.  A.  Aldridge. 

Alexander,  Boyer 4%...473  Washington  BouL,  City  (Infant) W.G.  Alexander. 

Alexander,  Lulu  B S6...473  Washington  Boul.,  City  Housewife W.G.Alexander 

Alexander,  Melba 8. ..473  Washington  Boul.,  City  Student W.  G.  Alexander. 

Alfson,  Albert 81... Woodstock,  111 B.  Mechanic.Alex.  Alfson. 

Allen,  Mary  S 27...5546  Drexel  Ave.,  City Housewife Edward  E.  Allen. 

Anderson,  Annie 29. ..2141  Jackson  Boul.,  City Domestic Nils  A.Larson. 

Anderson,  Ragna S9...229  Grand  Ave.,  City Scrub  Wom'nlda  Anderson. 

Andrews,  Henrietta S3....943  W.  Superior  St.,  City Nurse D.  A.  Orth.M.  D. 

Annan,  Margaretha 30...299  Webster  Ave.,  City Milliner. Chas.  J.  Peck. 

Austrian,  Walter  J 17...4175  Drexel  Boul.,  City Student Benj.  R.  Cahn. 

Bagley,  Helen  Dewey...  18...24  Madison  Park,  City Student Jno.F.  Mahoney. 

Baker,  Adelaide 17...4410  Ellis  Ave.,  City Student Chas.  C.  Landt. 

Banshaf,  George SO. ..4847  Forrestville  Ave.,  City  Electrician Marie  Thompson,, 

Barker,  Ethel  M 14...1925  Washington  Boul.,  City Harry  J.  Barker] 

Barnheisel,Chas.  H 42....4400  Grand  Boul.,  City Solicitor E.  I.  Dresher. 

Barry,  Wilma  Porter...  17. ..4380  Greenwood  Ave.,  City.. .Student F.  E.  Barry. 

Bartlett,  Alvina 83....West  Grossdale,  111 Housewife Wm.  Bartlett. 

Bartlett,  Arthur 6...  West  Grossdale,  111 Student Wm.  Bartlett. 

Bartlett,  Mrs.  C.  D 40...Bartlett  Station,  111 Housewife R.H.  Ostrander. 

Bartlett,  Emma 13. ..West  Grossdale,  111 Student  Wm.  Bartlett. 

Bartsch,  Wm.  C.  H 24...329  Hudson  Ave.,  City N.  Circulator  Hugo  Bartsch. 

Battenfield,  John  W 24. ..Ohio Electrician D.  H.  Battenfield 

Battenfleld,  Robert  M...  16. ..Delaware,  Ohio Student D.  H.  Battenfield 

Battenfield,  Ruth  A 22...Delaware,  Ohio Student D.  H.  Battenfield 

Battenfield,  Sarah  A....  51...Delaware,  Ohio Housewife D.  H.  Battenfield 

Bell,  Miss  Pet  Miria 65...3000  Michigan  Ave.,  City None J.  J.  Keating. 

Beutel,  William 38...EnglewoodAv.,nr.  Halsted  Lumber R.  Heinrich. 

Berg,  MissHilmaM 39...408  W.  111th St.,  City Housewife Frank  Berg. 

Berg,  Olga 13...408  W.  111th  St.,  City Student Frank  Berg. 

Berg,  Victor 11...408  W.  111th  St.,  City Student Frank  Berg. 

Bergch,  Annie 82. ..4926  Champlain  Ave.,  City...Housewife Arthur  Bergch. 

Bergch,  Jr.,  Arthur  Jas  11...4926  Champlain  Ave.,  City...Student Arthur  Bergch. 

Berry,  Emma 19. ..Battle  Creek,  Mich None Katy  Smith. 

Berry,  Margaret 25...236  Lincoln  Ave.,  City Housewife Katy  Smith. 

Berry,  Otto 26. ..Battle  Creek,  Mich Farmer Katy  Smith. 

Beyer,  Grace 4...1040  Diversey  Boul.,  City Fred  Meisner. 

Beyer,  Minnie 30...1040  Diversey  Boul.,  City Housewife Fred  Meisner. 

Beyer,  Otto 88...Diversey  Boul.,  City Waiter W.  J.  Kluehe. 

Bezenak.  Joseph 83. ..West  Superior,  Wis Superint'nd'tGeo.  Mackay. 

Bezenak,  Mrs.  Nellie...  40...West  Superior,  Wis Housewife Geo.  Mackay. 

Bickford,  Glen 17...Rogers  Park,  111 Student W.  Whitaker. 

Bickford,  Helen 16...Rogers  Park,  111 Student E.  R.  Neely. 

Biegler,  Susan  M 27. ..6518  Minewa  Ave.,  City Teacher Philip  Biegler. 

Bird,  Miss  Marian 64...Eola,  111 None R.  H.Ostrander. 

Bisslnger,  Walter 15... 4934  Forrestville  Ave.,  City  Student EliB.  Felsenthal. 

Blackman,  Ethel 13...Glenview,  111 Student W.  J.  Smeal, 

Bliss,  Harold  S 23...Racine,  Wis Dent.Student  W.  H.  Raymond. 

Blum,  Mrs.  Rose 30. ..4226  Vincennes  Ave.,  City.. ..Housewife H.  E.  Goldberger. 

Boettcher,  Mrs.  N.  H....  82. ..4140  Indiana  Ave.,  City Housewife C.  F.  Boettcher. 

Bogg,  Mary  L..... 18...6938  Wentworth  Ave.,City...Student C.  F.  Atkinson. 

Boice,  Bessie  S 16.. .5721  Rosalie  Ct.,  City None John  C.  Boice. 

Boice,  William  H 51...5721  Rosalie  Ct.,  City Salesman John  C.  Boice. 

Boice,  Mrs.  W.  H 49. ..5721  Rosalie  Ct.,  City Housewife John  C.  Boica. 


LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE  CHICAGO   HORROR.  409 

Name.  Age.  Residence.  Occupation.         Identified  by. 

Bolte,  Lenda  W_ 14...Lakeside,  111 Student Jno.  H.  Wlllard. 

Bond,  Lucille 10. ..Hart,  Mich Student (ieo.  Mackay. 

Botsford,  Mabel  A 21. ..Racine,   Wis 0  F.  Botsford. 

Bowman,  Beatrice  M...  81. ..20  Chalmer  PL,  City None B.F.  Jenks. 

Bowman,  Josephine 50...20  Chalmer  PL,  City None B.  F.  Jenks. 

Bowman,  Luclen 9. ..20  Chalmer  PL,  City Student B.  F.  Jenks. 

Brennan,  Jas.  F.  P 11  ...608  Fulton  St.  (W.),Clty Student P.  G.  Brennan 

Brennan,  Margaret 40. ..608  W.  Fulton  St.,  City Housewife Geo.  Scannell. 

Brewster,  Mary  Julia...  25. .. 116  E.  81st  St.,  City L.  H.  Brewster. 

Beln,  Herman 18... 266  E.  Division  St.,  City School  Boy Adolphi  Bein. 

Brinsley,  Emma  L 29. ..909  Jackson  BouL,  City Housewife C.  M.  Owens. 

Browne,  Hazel  Grace...  14. ..823  Wilson  Ave.,  City S'd'ntSt.  M'y. 

Convent,    So. 

Bend,  Ind T.  C.  Nfiwman. 

Buehrmann,  Margaret.  12. ..46  E.  .53d  St.,  City student E.  K.  Robinson. 

Burk,  Bertha 45.  ..911  W.Monroe  St.,  City Dressmaker. .. Jno.  Coughlin. 

Burnside,  Esther 59. ..437  E.  64th  St.,  City Housewife C.  W.  Burnslde. 

Buscherah,  Louise  A 12... 1810  Wellington  Ave.,  City.. Student O.  W.  Brecher. 

Butler,  Bennett  F 14. ..649  Michigan  Av,  Evanston..Student C.  F.  Forbes. 

Butler,  Mrs.  L.  E 51...649  Michigan  Av,  Evanston..Housewife C.  F.  Forbes. 

Byrne,  Consilla 16...616  W.  15th  St.,  City Student Mary  Byrne. 

Byrne,  Mary 84. ..879  Kedzie  Ave.,  City None Kath'rine  Byrna 

Caldwell,  Robt.  Porter..  15...4368  Morgan  St.,  St.  Louis student W.  B.  Harrison. 

Cantwell,  Ella  M 46. ..733  W.  Adams  St.,  City Housewife T.  A.  Cantwell. 

Cavllle,  Arthur 24... 54  26th  St.,  New  York Actor Louis  B.  Foley. 

Chapln,  Agnes  H 25. ..4458  Berkely  Ave.,  City Teacher W.  S.  Chapin. 

Chapman,  Bessie 19. ..Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa Student  H.C.  Richardson. 

Chapman,  Nina 23. ..Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa Stenogr'pher„H.C.  Richardson. 

Christian,  Henrietta 18. ..445  W.  65th  St.,  City None W.  A.  Douglass. 

Christopher,  Miss  Bell..  55... Decora h,  Iowa Nurse Mrs.  C.  Lott. 

Chrlstopherson,  Mrs.  M  35. ..231  N  Harvey  Ave,  Oak  Pk.. Housewife R.  H.  Beuckman. 

Clarke,  Edward  D 50. ..5432  Lexington  Ave.,  City.  .  Insurance Geo.  A.  Maclean. 

Clay,  Susan  1 47...6409  Monrce  Ave.,  City Idella  Furman. 

Clayton,  John  Vinton...  13. ..535  Morse  Ave.,  City Student F.  W.  Clayton. 

Cllngen,  Bessie  E 14...291  So.  Ashland  Ave.,  City. ..School  girl Wm.C.  Clingen. 

Cogans,Mrs.Margareth  26. ..5904  Normal  Ave..  City Housewife Thos.  Grace. 

Cohen,  Mary 52. ..222  Ogden  Ave..  Citj Housewife Herman  Cohen. 

Cooke,  Sadie 23. ..948  W.  Superior  St.,  City Nurse Geo.  E.  Cooke. 

Cooper,  Chas.  F 33...Kenosha,  ^*is S'p'r'ntnd'nt.G.  H.  Curtis. 

Cooper,  Helene 23. ..Lena,  111 Court  Clerk... R.  M.  White. 

Cooper,  Willis  W 60.  ..Kenosha,  Wis Gen.  Manger  Thos.  Hansen. 

Corbin,  Louise 37...6938  Wentworth  Ave.,  (ity..Housewife C.  B.  Hinckley. 

Corbin,  Norman  W 9. ..6938  Wentworth  Ave.,  City  ..Student V.  V.  Corbin. 

Corbin,  Vernon  W 10...6988  Wentworth  Ave.,  City  ..Student C.B.Hinckley. 

Corcoran,  Flossie 22. ..218  Dearborn  Ave.,  City st'd'nt  Muslc.J.  E.  Harris. 

Coutts,  Robt.  H 38...1616  Wabash  Ave.,  City C'gr  Business.  W.  J.  Coatts. 

Crocker,  Millie  J 48...3730  Lake  Ave.,  City Teacher Geo.  E.  Cook. 

Cummlngs,  Miss  Irene  18.. .5135  Madison  Ave.,  City- Student R.  F.  Cumminga, 

Danner,  H 53... Burlington,  Iowa Rt'd  Druggist.Geo.  Taylor. 

Danson,  Teresa  Mae 25.. .Pullman,  111- Housewife Jas.  P.  Danson. 

Davy,  Mrs.  Elizabeth...  53. ..84  Roslyn  PL,  City Housewife Marg.  Peterson. 

Davy,  Helen  Louise 1(5..  84  Roslyn  PL,  City Student T.  W.  Taylor. 

Dawson,  Grace ">...:',". i  N.  Harding  Ave,  City Wm.  T.  Daws    .». 

Dawson,  Mary  Jane 50...Barrtngton,  III Housewife Wm.  T.  Da^    .,„ 


410  LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE  CHICAGO  HORROR. 

Name.  Age.  Residence.  Occuaation.  Identified  by. 

Day,  Sarah  (Colored)...  55...Delaware,  Ohio Dom'tlc  Ohio. J.  F.  Dodd. 

Decker,  Kate  K 58...32S7  Groveland  Ave.,  City...Housewife Carl.  D.  Klnsey. 

Decker,  Mamie  K 83...82S7  Groveland  Ave.,  City. ..Housekeep'r.. Richard C.  Knox. 

Decker,  Myron  A 65. ..8287  Groveland  Ave.,  City. ..Lawyer Carl.  D.  Kinsey. 

Dee,  Edward 7...8138  Wabash  Ave.,  City Student John  Gee. 

Delee,  Viola 23...7822  Union  Ave.,   City...- None M.J.  Deelee. 

De  Vine,  Clara 80. ..259  La  Salle  Ave.,  City _ A.  J.  Reese. 

Devine,  Margaret 22...95  Kern  ball  St.,  City At'd  Theatrc.N.  Christopher. 

Dee,  Margaret  L 2...8188  Wabash  Ave.,  City Wm.  Dee. 

Dickhut,  Minnie  M 28...Quincy,  111 Milliner Ed.  Cooney. 

Dickie,  Edith 619  W.65th  Place,  City Teacher J.H.  Brayton. 

Diffenderfer,  Leander  J  16.. .Lincoln,  111 Student Grace  Strong. 

Dingfelder,  Winifred  E  18...Jonesville,  Michigan Student F.  Dingfelder. 

Dixon,  Edna  H 9...100  Flournoy  St.,  City Student A.Z.Dixon. 

Dixon,  Anna  H 48...100 Flournoy  St.,  City Housewife A.  Z.  Dixoti. 

Dixon,  Leah 16...100  Flournoy  St.,  City Student A.  Z.  Dixon. 

Dodd,  Mrs.  J.   F 46... Delaware,  Ohio Housewife  ....J.  F.  Dodd. 

Dodd,  Ruth 18... Delaware,  Ohio Student. J.  F.  Dodd. 

Doerr,  Lillian 16...4924  Champlain  Ave.,  City...Student Wm.  P.  Doerr. 

Domann.Emma 21...559  LaSalle  Ave.,  City Domestic C.  F.  Domann. 

Donaldson,  Clara  E 42...45S5  Indiana  Ave.,  City.- Housewife F.  L.  Donaldson. 

Donohue,  Mary  E 18...1040  W.Taylor  St Student Thos.  Donohue. 

Dotts,  Margaret  S 82...188  N.  Elizabeth  St.,  City Housewife W.  A.  Dott. 

Dow,. Florence 17...642  W.  60th  St.,  City Student F.  H.  Dow. 

Dowst,  Jennie  W 44...927Hinman  Ave.,Evanston..Housewife B.  C.'Blowney. 

Dreisel,  Mrs.  Clara 80...N.  Robey  &  Potomac  Ave. ..Teacher -Max  Wolff. 

Dreisel,  Herman  0 89  .  697  N.  Robey  St.,  City Teacher Max  Wolff 

Driden,  Birdie  T 28. ..5809  Washington  Ave.,City..Housewife John  Dryden. 

Dryden,    Taylor 12...5809  Washington  Ave.,  City..Student John  Dryden. 

Duboys,  Mrs.  Arthur....  25. ..38%  Oregon  Ave.,  City Housewife A.  J.  M.  Nalis. 

Duval,  Mrs.  Elizabeth..  45.. .498  Fullerton  Ave.,  City Dr.  H.J.  Combs. 

Duvall,  Sarah 9...Zanesville,  Ohio Student J.  W.Pinkerton. 

Dyrenforth,  Helen 9...Evanston,  111 Student  A.  Dyrenforth. 

Dyrenforth,  Ruth 14...Evanston,  111 Student A.  Dyrenforth. 

Dawson,  Nellie 26...Barrington,  111 Teacher  Wm.  Dawson. 

Eisendrath,  Natalie 8.*10  Crilly  Ct.,  City Student  Jos.  A.  Berger. 

Ebbert,  John  H 48.. .5516  Marshfield  Ave.,  City.. .Shoedealer.  ...Harry  J.  Ebbert. 

Ebbert,  Mrs.  J.  H 48...5516  Marshfield  Ave.,  City. ..Housewife Harry  J.  Ebbert. 

Ebersteln,  Elizabeth 43...84  E.  26th  St„  City Housewife Jennie  Brown. 

Eberstein,  Frank  B 19.. .84  E.  26th  St.,  City Carr'geTrmr.J.  G.  Ebersteln. 

Edwards,  Caroline  M...-  42.. .Clinton,  Iowa Housewife W.  A.  Edwards. 

Edwards,  Marjorie 14. ..Clinton,  Iowa Student W.  A.  Edwards. 

Eger,  Miss  Sabine 27...8760  Indiana  Ave.,  City Teacher Emil  Eger. 

'Eisendrath,  Ettie 86...10 Crilly  Place,  City Housewife J.  L.  Eisendrath. 

Eisensteadt,  Herbert  S  16...4549  Forrestville  Ave.,City...None M.  Eisensteadt. 

Eldridge,  Harry...- -  17...Mattoon,  111 Student H.  Messer. 

Eldridge,  Monte 24...6063  Jefferson  Ave.,  City Conductor H.  Messer. 

Elkan,  Rose 14.. .3484  So.  Park  Ave.,  City Student MarkElkan. 

Ellis,  Annie 45...207  E.  62d  St.,  City Housewife Bert  L.  Ellis. 

Ellis,  Lottie 26... Grain ville,  Mich Clerk J.  N.  Ellis. 

Engels,  Miss  Minnie S6...73  Dawson  Ave.,  City None M.  H.  Engels. 

Engels,  William 7...7S  Dawson  Ave.,  City Student M.  H.  Engels. 

Erland,  Alma 24...8S2  Judson  Ave.,  Evanston...  Servant O.Anderson. 

Ernst,  Rosina 11...202  24th  Place,  City Student  Frieda  E.  PauL 

ffspen,  Emil 81...190  Osgood  St.,  City Mer.  Tailor.. ..  W.  Lederer. 


LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE  CHICAGO   IIO.IROR.  411 

Name.  Age.  Residence.  Occupation.  IdeiUtjIxl  hy. 

1 8.  M.  Eichberg. 
Espen.Rosa 23-305 Osgood  St.,  City None \W.  A.  Mentzer. 

Ifcsig,  Tyrone 17—239  W.  66th  St.,  City Student  J.  P.  Prlmley. 

Evans,  Mattle 42...Q,uincy,  111 Housewife. ..-A.  J.  Keese. 

Fahey,  Mary .25...4860  Kimbark  Ave,  City Waitress T.  H.  Fahey. 

Fair,  Ella  M -52. ..7564  Bond  Ave.,  City Teacher Geo.  A.  Fair. 

Fair,  Maria  A 55. ..7564  Bond  Ave.,  City Ex-teacher Geo.  A.  Fair. 

Falk,  Gertrude 20. ..8839  Elmwood  Ave.,  City Housekeeper  J.  P.  Falk. 

Falkensteln,Gertrude....30...T214  LaFayette  Ave.,  City Teacher H.  O.  Deuss. 

Fellman,  Herman 37. ..3118  Vernon  Ave.,  City Contractor-.... Adolph  Fellmn 

Fieser,  Matie  A S8...798  N.  Springfield  Ave.,  City.Housewlfe Harry  A.  Fleser. 

Finch,  Jennie 22...Klrksville,  Mo Teacher R.  A.  Loucks. 

Fitzgibbon,  Anna  G 17.. .2954  Michigan  Ave.,  City Student G.  J.  M'Carnb'ge. 

Fitzgibbon,  John  J 18...2954  Michigan  Ave., City Student G.J.McCambge 

Fitzpatrick,  Miss  G .27.  ..525  W.Monroe  St.,  City- Domestic -Geo.E.  Ship  man 

Flannagan,  Thomas  J....24...34th  and  State  Sts.,  City Machinist  Lottie  Flanagan 

Foltz,  Helen 14. ..1886  Diversey  St.,  City Student John  T.  Reedy. 

Folice,  Nellie 22.. .301  Claremont  Ave.,  City Housewife Frank  Folice. 

Folke,  Ada  E 21...Berwyn,  111 Tel.  Op'r Chas.  D.  Folke. 

Foltz,    Alice 16...1886  Diversey  St.,  City Student John  T.  Reedy. 

Foltz,  Mrs.  Mary 41. ..1886  Diversey  St.,  City Housewife John  T.  Reedy. 

Forbes,  Mary  J 25. ..244  Oakwood  Boul.,  City Domestic Rita  Forbes. 

Foltz,  Mrs.  Fannie  T 38.. .923  Hinman  Ave.,  City Housewife Walter  P.  Marsh 

Fort,  Phoebe  Irene 45...146  36th  St.,  City Principal J.  E.  Swartz. 

Fowler,  Elva 17...3450  W.  63d  PI.,  City Student Henry  J.  Smith. 

Fox,  Mrs.  F.  Morton S6...Winnetka,  111 Housewife (iraeme  Stewart 

Fox,  William  Hoyt 13...  Winnetka,  111 Student Graeme  Stewart 

Fox,   Emelie 9... Winnetka,  111 Student GraemeStewart 

Fox,  Geo.  S 16...  Winnetka,  111 .Student Graeme  8tewart 

Frady,  Leon 10...4356  Forrestvllle  Ave,,  City-Student J.  U.  Sprindler, 

Frady,  Lillian  M 29. ..4356  Forrestvllle  Ave.,  City..Housewife J.  U.  Sprindler, 

Frandsen,  Elna 24. ..Winnetka,  111 Servant Geo.  Rasmesent 

Frazier,  M  D.  Holbrook. 35. ..Aurora,  111 -..Housewife C.  H.  Hobrook. 

Freckelton,  Edith 23....5632  Peoria  St.,  City None Geo.  E.  Florey. 

Freckelton,  Ella 17....5G.12  Peoria  St.,  City Student Geo.  E.  Florey. 

Freer,  Jennie  E.  Christy  53.... Galesburg,  111 Housewife F.  A.  Freer. 

Friedrichs,  Helen 35—311  Center  St.,  City Housewife Mich.Friedrichs 

Gahan,  Josephine 17....Wentw'th  A  GarfieldB'ICltyStudent James  Clark. 

Garn,  Jr.,  Frank 11....831  W.  Monroe  St.,  City -Student F.  H.  Wolff. 

Gam,  Mrs.  Lucy 831  W.  Monroe  St.,  City Housewife F.  H.  Wolff. 

Garn,  William 9—831  W.  Monroe  St.,  City- Student F.  H.Wolff. 

Gartz,  Barbara  Jane 4....4860  Kimbark  Ave.,  City - R.T.  Crane,  Jr. 

Gartz,  Mary  Dorothea 12..  4860  Kimbark  Ave.,  City Student R.  T.  Clane,  Jr. 

Geary,  Pauline 25.. .4627  Indiana  Ave.,  City Teacher W.  V.  Geary. 

Greenwald,  Leroy  W 10...533  E.  Bryon  St.,  City Student F.R.Greenwald. 

Geik,  Emily, .38—731  Fullerton.  Ave.,  City Dressmaker... L.  C.  Gelk. 

Gerow,  Mabel  Redruth— 34— Winnetka,  111 Companion....R.  L.  Greeley. 

Glbbs,  Mary  W 48—4602  Calumet  Ave.,  Clty_ Boar'h'seKp'rGeo.  A.Webber. 

Goerk,  Dora 20—1030  Byron  8t.,  City _ Dressmaker —Henry  G.Goerk. 

Goolsby,  Vera 16...10  Oakland  Crescent,  City— Student H.  A.  Badger. 

Goss,  Methilda -35—243  Grace  St.,  City -Housewife Joe.  J.  Goss. 

Gould,  Benjamin  E .S2...Elgin,  Hi -Court  Clerk  ...F.  L.  Gould. 

Goold,  Pearl .2S-Elgln,  111 Housewife F.  L.  Gould. 

Gravfcfc,  Clara  C 26...T23  W.  Chicago  Ave,,  City Housewlfe^^A.  Gendelwl«r. 


412 


LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE  CHICAGO   HORROR. 


Name.  Age.  Residence.  Occupation.  Identified  by. 

Graff,  Margaret 62....Bloomington,  111 Housewife R.  Graff. 

Greenwald,  Lula  M 32...533  Byron  St.,  City Housewife F.  R.  Grcenwald. 

Gudehus,  Sophia 6....S27  N.  Ashland  Ave.,  City Student H.  F.  Gudehus. 

Guerrieri,  Jennie 12....135  N.  Sangamon  St.,  City Student Mich.  Guerrierl. 

Gustafson,  Alma 10...383  Ave.  N,  So.  Chicago ...Teacher  Oscar  Wolff. 

Guthardt,  Adelaide 41..J59  118th  St.,  City Housewife John  Guthardt. 

Guthardt,  Lidya 15....159  W.  113thSt.,  City Student John  Guthardt. 


Hall,  Emery  M 58. 

Harbaugh,  Harriet 84. 

Harbaugh,  Mary  E 30. 

Hanson,  Anna  B 21. 

Hansen,  Nancy 10 

Hart,  Elizabeth 22 

Hart,  Nellie  E 84. 

Hartman,  Jobn  Steve..  22. 

Hayes,  Frank  B 22 

Helms,  Otto 87 

Hennessey.  William....  14. 

Henning,  Charles 6 

Henning,  Edwin 11 

Henning,  Emely  J 41 

Henning,  William 14. 

Henry, MaryAlda  Freer  26. 

Hensley,  Flora  A 85 

Hensley,  Frances  M 5 

Hensley,  Genevieve 10 

Herger,  Bertha 22. 

Herich,  Mary 18 

Herron,  Bessie  L 20 

Hewins,  Emery  G 61. 

Hewins,  Mrs.  Sarah 60. 

Hickman,  Mrs.  Charles  24. 
Higginson,  Janette  B....  26. 

Higginson,  Roger  G 9. 

Hippach,  L.  Archibald..  12. 

Hippach,  Robert  A 14. 

Hire,  Eva  M 15. 

Henning,  James 5. 

Hoffeins,  Adeline  J.  C...  24 

Holland,  John  H 60. 

Holm,  Miss  Hulda 24. 

Holmes,  Minnie 53. 

Hoist,  Allan  B 12. 

Hoist,  Amy 7 

Hoist,  Gertrude  M 10 

Hoist,  Mary  W 36 

Hoyland,  Leigh 13 

Howard,  Helen 17 

Howard,  Mary  E 54. 

Hrody,  Anna 83 

Hull,Dwight 7 

Hudl,  Donald 9 

Hull,  Helen 10 

Hun,  Mrs  Marianne  K,  32, 


..Vermont  Bldg.,  53d  &  Cot- 
tage Grove  Ave.,  City Musician Anson  L.  Bolte. 

..6653  Harvard  Ave.,  City L.  C.  Stafford. 

..6653  Harvard  Ave.,  City Teacher L.  C.  Stafford. 

..Gibson  City,  111 Teacher Nels.  Hanson. 

..Granville,  Mich Student J.  N.  Ellis. 

..803  Dempster  St.,Evanston..Bookkeeper...Charles  S.  Hart. 

..Rock  Island,  111 Housewife John  English. 

..5705  S.  Halsted  St.,  City Machinist And.  R.Hartman 

..Janesville,  Wis Merchant Dennis  Hayes. 

..77  Maple  St.,  City Musician Walter  Helm. 

..4411  Calumet  Ave.,  City Student William  Dollard. 

..5743  Prairie  Ave.,  City .Student E.  Henning. 

..5743  Prairie  Ave.,  City Student E.  Henning. 

..5743  Prairie  Ave.,  City Housewife M.  A.  Carpenter. 

..5743  Prairie  Ave.,  City Student E.  Henning. 

..1198  Wilton  Ave.,  City Housewife Guy  A.  Henry. 

..Logansport,  Ind Housewife Guy  Hensley. 

..Logansport.  Ind Guy  Hensley. 

..Logansport,  Ind Student Guy  Hensley. 

..Hammond,  Ind Domestic... Mrs. T.  Wiedemann 

..7540  Lake  Ave.,  City Servant Jan.  Svehla. 

..Hammond,  Ind None J.  C.  Herron. 

..Petersburg,  Ind W.  S.  Moore. 

..Petersburg,  Ind Housewife W.  S.  Moore. 

..4743  Calumet  Ave.,  City Housewife H.  H.  Steere.M.D, 

..  Winnetka,  111 None P.  D.  Sexton. 

..Winnetka,  111 Student Paul  D.  Sexton. 

..2928  Kenmore  Ave.,  City Student A.  A.  Nachtway. 

..2928  Kenmore  Ave.,  City Wm.  H.  West. 

..613  W.  61st  PI.,  City Student Chas.  A.  Mayo. 

..5743  Prairie  Ave.,  City Schoolboy James  Henning. 

..292  Haddon  Ave.,  City Teacher Peter  H.  Hoffeins 

..Des  Moines,  Iowa Merchant W.  F.  Wilson. 

..176  Northwestern  Av.,  City..None Percy  E.  Douglas 

..6743  Yale  Ave.,  City Housewife John  Holmes. 

..2088  W.  Van  BurenSt.,  City.Student Wm.  M.  Hoist. 

..2088  W.  Van  Buren  St„  City.Student Wm.  M.  Hoist. 

..2088  W.  Van  Buren  St.,  City.Student Wm.  M.  Hoist. 

..2088  W.  Van  Buren  St.,  City.Housewife....Wm.  M.  Hoist. 

..31  Humboldt  Boul.,  City Student J.  P.  Hoyland. 

..6565  Yale  Ave.,  City Student Fred  R.  Mitchell 

..3812  Prairie  Ave,,  City Housewife Frank  Howard. 

..1353  S.  40th  Ave.,  City Housewife Jos.  F.  Halik. 

..244  Oakwood  Boul.,  City Student E.  S.  Gregory. 

..244  Oakwood  Boul.,  City Student J.  H.  MacDonald 

..244  Oakwood  Boul.,  City Student J.  H.  MacDonald 

..244  Oakwood  Boul.,  City Housewife .„..E.  S.  Gregory, 


LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE   CHICAGO   HORROR.  U3 

Name.  Age.  Bntdenee.  upoikm.         Tdmtffkd  fry. 

HutcMns,  Florence 22...Waukegan,  111 Teacher E.  L.  Hutchlns. 

Harbaugh,  Harriet  K....  84....Savannab,  111 Teacher L.  O.  Stafford. 

Irle,  Mabel  Wiley 81.. .1240  Lawrence  Ave.,  City Housewife Asher  Rossetter 

Jacobson,  Pauline 2S....432  Superior  St., City Housewife Alfred  Jacobson. 

.Jackson,  Viva  R 18....216N.HumboldtBoul.,City  ...Student las.  ('.  .Jackson. 

James,  Charles  1) 41....Davenport,  Iowa Chas.  B.James. 

Jones,  Mrs.  Annie  C 36. ..46  E.  53d  St.,  City Housewife Warner  E.  Jones 

Kaufman,  Alice 5. ..Hammond,  Ind Carl  Kaufman. 

Kennedy,  Agnes  R 28... 6528  Ross  Ave.,  City Teacher John  J.  Foley. 

Kennedy,  Francis  E 31. ..6528  Ross  Ave.,  City Teacher John  J.  Foley. 

Kennedy,  KatieH 3S...Freeport,  111 Housewife A.  C.  Kennedy. 

Kennedy,  Margaret  B...  21. ..Austin,  111 Housewife D.  E.  Kennedy. 

Kercher,  Mrs.  Francis..  22. ..489  E.  88th  St.,  City Housewife Schoondermark. 

Kidwell,  Olie 45...Martlnsburg,  Ohio Dressmaker.. .J.  F.  Dodd. 

Kiely,  Harry  M 26...St.  Loui*,  Mo Teacher Jos.  Klely. 

Knapp,  Rena,  E 19... Harvard,  111 Robert  Knapp. 

Kochems,  Augusta 38.. .262  Warren  Ave.,  City Housewife MarkO.  Jucknies 

Kochems,  Jacob  A 17. ..262  Warren  Ave.,  City F.  C  Kochems. 

Koehler,  Mamie 15...  Washington  Heights,  111 Student Albert  Polzin. 

Koll.NoraZ 49. ..496  Ashland  Boul.,  City Housewife Charles  Koll. 

Kranz,  Sarah  Ann 47... Racine,  Wis Housewife  .....Herbert  E.JillKon 

Kuebler,  Lola  B 16.. . 724  E.  50th  St.,  City Student  Geo.  J.  Kuebler. 

Kulas,  Georgina 27. ..349  Chestnut  St.,  City Housewife C.  J.  Renshaw. 

Kwasniewski,  John 25.. .122  Cleaver  St.,  City A.  Kwasniewskl. 

Lake,  Mrs.  Alfred 60...278  Belden  Ave.,  City Housewlfr Geo.  B.  Caufleld. 

Lange,  Agnes 14. ..1632  Barry  Ave,,  City Student Louis  Lan^c. 

Lange,  Herbert  H.J 16...  1632  Barry  Ave.,  City Draftsman  ....Louis  Lange. 

La  Rose,  Josephine 1...833  N.Clark  St., City student I.N.  La  Rose. 

r.a  Rose,  Laura 12. ..833  N.  Clark  St.,  City student W.  A.  Chipin. 

La  Rose,  Matilda 10...833  N.  Clark  St.,  City Student  I.  N.  La  Rose. 

Lawrence,  Miss  Ella  W.  28.. .922  S.  Sawyer  Ave  ,  City Tearber (  ;VF  '  ^f^?"" 

(  Henry  rlbblts. 

Leach,  Francis  A 51. ..5747  Drexel  Ave.,  City Seamstress  ....Leander  Maddox 

Leaton,Fred  W 24. ..City Student  \\\  Hamburgher. 

Leavenworth,  Mrs.  C.F.  45... Decatur,  111 Housewife L.  Leavenworth. 

Lefmann,  Mrs.  Susie S8...Laporte,  Ind Housewife  F.  M.  Burdick. 

Lehman,  Frances  M....  24. .. 525  N.  Austin  Ave.,  City Teacher Milo  B.  Lehman. 

Lemenager,  Jessie 38. ..28  Waveland  Ct.,  City J  Lima  Graves. 

»  EL  Q.  Pound. 

Lemenager, Dorothy  M.  13. ..23  Waveland  Ct.,  City student  H.V.  Lemenager. 

Lemenager,  Wallace....    8. ..23  Waveland  Ct.,  City Elma  Graves. 

Levenson,  Rosle 28.. .268  Ogden  Ave.,  City Housewife W.  C.  Levenson. 

Linden,  Eleanor  E 21. ..4625  Lake  Ave.,  City Student  F.  W.  Linden. 

Livingston,  Daisy  E 24...273  Oakwood  Boul.,  City Teacher t'F'  Llvln£Stone. 

1  Dr.  Livingstone 

Long,  Helen 14. ..Geneva,  111 .Student  E.  P.  Luthardt. 

Long,  Katheryne 9. ..Geneva,  111 J3tudent  F.  H.  Blackman. 

Long,  Marion  P 12. ..Geneva,  111 .Student  E.  P.  Luthardt. 

Love,  Marguerite  M 19. ..Woodstock,  111 Xlerk Chas.A.  Ronning. 

Lowitz,  Mildred  H 22. ..Keokuk,  Iowa ....Housewife Nathan  S.Lowlts. 

Ludwig,  Eugene 18...113Clrcle  Av.,Norw'd  Pk.Ill.Housekeeper.Sarah  Jullen. 

Ludwig,  Harry 50.. .Norwood  Park,  111 ^Salesman Sarah  Jullen. 


414 


LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE  CHICAGO   HORROR. 


Name.  Age.  Residence.  Occupation.  Identified  by. 

Ludwig,  Lina  0 14. ..Norwood  Park,  111., Student Harry  Heller. 

Ludwlg,  Sadie" 40...Norwood  Park,  111 Housewife Louis  Wilzinskl 

Lutiger,  Eleanor- 65.. .756  Trumbull  Ave.,  City Housekeeper.Geo.  Lutiger. 


..5029  Indiana  Ave.,  City Geo.  Mackay. 

..2141  Jackson  Boul.,  City Student Robert  Mahler. 

..6050  Washington  Boul.,City.Housewife J.  D.  Maloney. 

..1388  Washington  Boul.,  City.Teacher Louis  T.  Mann. 

..Oak  Park,  111 Student P.  B.  Martin. 

Martin,  Harold  C 14...11  Market  Circle,Pulm'n,lll.Student  . 


Mackay  Roland  S 6. 

Mahler,  Edith  L. 8. 

Maloney,  Mrs.  Jas.  D....  37. 
Mann,  Miss  Emma  D...  — . 
Martin,  Earl 7 


I  Calton  Hewitt. 

...Pullman,  111 Student Dan'l  R.Martin, 

...6565  Yale  Ave.,  City Student Trumbull  White, 

...6315  Lexington  Ave.,  City H.  H.Steere,M.D, 

...Harvard,  111 Real  Estate. ..J.  B.  Lyon,  M.  D, 

..5820  Superior  St.,  Austin Student Geo.  V.  McClure, 

...Pittsburg,  Pa Student M.  R.  K.  McGill. 

...614  Sawyer  Ave,,  City Housekeeper.BelleL.Campbell 

...Eola,  111 Farmer R.  H.  Ostrander. 

...758  S.  Kedzie  Ave.,  City J.  L.  McKenna. 

...758  8.  Kidzie  Ave.,  City Housewife J.  L.  McKenna. 

...Delaware,  Ohio Student J.  L.  Gunsaulus. 

...2824  N.  Hermitage  Ave Housewife Frank  McMillan, 

...Pullman,  111 Student C.  C.  Hewitt. 

...69  Humboldt  Boul.,  City Aug.  Marx. 

...636  W.  60th  St.,  City Housekeeper.Jno.  J.  Akins. 

...278  Belden  Ave.,  City Clarence  Mead. 

...Berwyn,  111 Student Clayton  B.  Mead, 

...656  Orchard  St.,  City Teacher Jno.  J.  Holland. 

..5555  Washington  Ave.,  City  Housewife Max  L.  Mendel. 

(Etta  Menzer. 

<•  Frieda  E.  PauL 

...498  Fullerton  Ave.,  City W.  C.  Ziegler, 

...Grossdale,  111 Student Jacob  B.  Meyer. 

...St.  Louis,  Mo Student Frank  C.  Reilly. 

...369  W.  Huron  St.,  City Housewife Aug.  Miller. 

...4919  Vincennes  Ave.,  City... Stndent  B.  J.  Crandall. 

...6263  Jefferson  Ave.,  City Student Ward  M.  Mills. 

..623  Sedgwick  St.,  City.. Housewife Wm.  A.  Mills. 

...5613  Kimbark  Ave.,  City Housewife Ward  Mills. 

/  Jas.  McGovern. 
...Lockport,  111 Teacher 1  W.  Fiddyment. 

^A.  Fiddyment. 

...Watertown,  Wis Stenograph'r.  \  f'  Templeton. 

I H.  Pease. 

...Watertown,  Wis Teacher C.  D.  Richards. 

..307  Benton  St.,  Ottawa,  111. ..Student J.  F.  Moloney. 

..119  W.  59th  St.,  City Machinist Geo.  Mackay. 

...119  W.  59th  St.,  City Confection' y  .Geo.  Mackay. 

..Hart,  Mich Housewife Geo.  Mackay. 

..125  S.  Kedzie  Ave.,  City Widow W.  S.  Chapin. 

..Hart,  Mich Student Geo.  Mackay. 

..Rensselaer,  Ind Student  Moses  Leopold. 

..5395th  Ave.,  Milwaukee, Fur  Factory...Kate  Doellingea 

...Milwaukee,  Wis, Seamstress {^rs-  "•^r°it^ 

I  Mrs.  E.  Grot*. 


Martin,  Robert  B 12. 

McCaughan,  Helen 17. 

McChristie,  Miss  Anna..27. 

McClellan,  Joseph 30. 

McClure,  Lawrence  R 13. 

McGill,  Elizabeth  H 12. 

McGunigle,  Mamie 35. 

McKee,  J.  W 64 

McKenna,  Bernard  B....  3. 

McKenna.  Amy  J 27. 

McLaughlin,  Wm.  L 18. 

McMillan,  Mabel 23. 

Martin,  Robert  D 12. 

Marx,  May 19. 

Matchate,  Emla 49. 

Mead,  Mrs.  Chas 64. 

Mead.Lucile 10. 

Meagher,  Maria 30. 

Mendel,  Augusta  M 53.. 

Menzer,  Mrs.  Annie 46....202  24th  Place,  City Housewife. 

Meriam,  Fanny  G 60. 

Meyer,  ElsaH 10. 

Middleton,  Kathleen 12. 

Miller,  Helen 23. 

Miller,  Willard 9. 

Mills,  Isabella 21. 

Mills,  Clara  B 34. 

Mills,  Pearl  M 32. 

Mitchell,  Dora 30. 

Moak,  Anna 25. 

Moak,  Lena 51. 

Moloney,  Alicia  M 11. 

Moore,  Benjamin 74. 

Moore,  Mrs.  Kitty 50. 

Moore,  Mate 35. 

Moore,  Matilda  C.  H 58. 

Moore,  Sybil 14. 

Mossier,  Pauline 13. 

Mueller,  Ella 23. 

Mueller,  Mrs.  Emelia 60. 


LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE  CHICAGO   HORROR.  415 

Name.  Age.  Residence.  Occupation.  Identified  by. 

Muir,  Mrs.  Eugenia H.J....3U1  Wlnthrop  Ave.,  City Housewife W.s.  Moore. 

Mulr,  Jr.,S.  A 34...8U1  Wluthrop  Ave.,  City Tr.  Salesman..  W.  S.  Moore. 

Mulholland,  Josephine..^. ..Cedar  Kapids,  Iowa Teacher Clark  Griffith. 

Murphy,  Dewitt  James..l8...i:i40  Sheffield  Ave.,  City Student  I.  D.  Murpby. 

Murray,  Charles 0"»...Martlnsburg,  Ohio Farmer  J.  F.  Dodd. 

Muir,  Margery  F.stelle...30...801  Winthrop  Ave., City Stenographr.C.  H.  Clark. 

Neumann,  Mary 20...1443  s.  42d  Ave.,  City Housekeeper. Jos.  F.  Halik. 

Neumann,  Anna   P :H...  West  Grossdale,  111 Housewife A.  J.  Neumann. 

Newby,  Anna  Belle 2S...8958  Drexel  P.oi-1.,  City Housewife L.  <;.  Newby. 

Norris,  Libbie  A 50...5124  Dearborn  St.,  City Housewife H.  T.  Norris. 

Norrls,  Mabel  A 17. ..5124  Dearborn  St„  City H.  T.  Norris. 

Norton,  Edith 12.,.Ontonagan,  Mich Student  J.  H.  Burke,  Jr. 

Norton,  Mattie 18...0ntonagan,  Mich Student Slstr  M  Boniface. 

Nelms,  Blanche  May 28.. .5145  Prairie  Ave.,  City Housewife P.  E.  Cornell. 

Oakey,  Lucile 18. ..515  W.  65th  St.,  City Student D.  L.  Phillips. 

Oakey,  Marianne 11. .. 515  W.  05th  St.,  City Student D.  I,.  Phillips. 

Oakey,  Alfred  J 40.. . 515  W.  05th  St.,  City Dentist D.  L.  Phillips. 

O'Donnell,  Louise  M 41. ..4029  Woodiawn  Ave.,  City....Housewife J.  J.  O'Donnell. 

Olsen,  Floy  Irene 32. ..835  Walnut  St.,  City Housewife Oscar  M.  Ol3en. 

Olson,  Augusta 29.. .218  79th  PL,  City Nurse Alfred  Olson. 

Olson,  Elvira 18. ..7010  Stewart  Ave.,  City None B.  W.  Olson. 

Owen,  Dr.  Chas.  S 45...\Vheaton,  111 Physician Geo.  E.  Haley. 

Owen,  Mary 46...\Vheaton,  111 Housewife N.  E.  Matter. 

Owen,  William 8...Wheaton,  HI Student N.  E.  Matter. 

Owens,  Amy :>3...0241  Kirn  bark  Ave.,  City Teacher Roy  Owens. 

Owens,  Frances  E 60. ..6241  Kimbark  Ave.,  City Housewife Roy  Owens. 

Ox  nain,  Florence... 17. ..435  Englewood  Ave.,  City Student Arthur  J.  Lee. 

Page,  Bertha 45.  ..05(32  Stewart  Ave.,  City Housewife E.D.Alexander. 

Page,  Harold 12.. .0502  Stewart  Ave.,  City Student E.D.Alexander. 

Palmer,  Howard  M 9... 1141  Judsou  Av.,  Evanston... Student Wm.  L.  Maize. 

Palmer,  Mrs.  Katie 88. .. 1141  Judson  A  v.,  Evanston. ..Housewife F.  P.  Maize. 

Palmer,  Richard  G 14. ..1141  Judson  Av.,  Evanston. ..Student F.  P.  Maize. 

Palmer,  William 42. ..1141  Judson  A  v.,  Evanston.  ..Salesman F.  P.  Maize. 

Parrish,  Rosamond 19. ..4717  Kimbark  Ave.,  City Student Chas.  P.  Parrish. 

Patterson,  Crawford  J. ..12... 4467  Oakenwald  Ave.,  City. ..Student J.  C.  Patterson. 

Patterson,  W.  Addison. .10.. .4467  Oakenwald  Ave.,  City. ..student J.  C.  Patterson. 

Paulman,  William 22...37S8  State  St.,  City Pat'n  Maker..F.Paulman,  Jr. 

Payne,  Mrs.  K.  F 3S....357  Garfield  Boul.,  City Housewite Jas.  H.  Payne. 

Payson,  R.  Gertrude 15.. .Oak  Park,  111 Student Edward  Payson. 

Pease,  Mrs.  A.  W.  L 53....Detroit,  Mich Widow PercivalS.  Pease. 

Pease,  Elizabeth  B 6...,5>2  E.  49th  St.,  City Student Percival  S.  Pease. 

Pease,  Grace  E 31....552  E.  49th  St.,  City Housewife Percival  s.  Pease. 

Peck,  Ethel  M 16....2642  N.  Hermitage  Av.,City..Student \  EJ"  i"^16',?1*  D' 

1  Hi.  G.  l  urt  is. 

Peck,  Willis 13....2642  N.  Hermitage  Av.,City..Student D.  A.Steele,  M.D. 

Pelton,  Mrs.  Lilian 30...Des  Moines,  Iowa W.  F.  Wilson. 

Persinger,  Harriet 40. ..40  Florence  Ave.,  City Housewife H.  R.  Perslnger. 

Persinger,  Hewitt 10. ..50  Florence  Ave.,  City Student J.  W.  Harrison. 

Peterson,  Miss  T.  C 32. ..Fargo,  Minn Principal J.  D.  Maloney. 

Pierce,  Gretchen 10...Plalnwell,  Mich Student L.  H.  Pierce,  M.D. 

Pierce,  Mrs.  L.  H.  D 42....Plainwell,  Mich Housewife L.  H.Pierce,  M.D. 

Pilat,  Josephine 13....34  Humboldt  Boul..  City student Ignac  Pilat. 

Plnney,  Mrs.  Belle 27....853S.  Leavitt  St.  City Housewife Harry  B.  Pinney. 


416  LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE  CHICAGO  HORROR. 

Name.  Age.  Residence.  Occupation.  Identified  by. 

Polzin,  Etta }7....Knox,  Ind Albert  Polzln. 

Pond,  Mrs.  Eva 45....:?72  Lyman  Av,  R'v'ns'd,Ill.Housewife R.  W.  Rowen. 

Pond,  Helen 7....1272  Lyman  Av,  R'v'ns'd.lll.Student R.  W.  Rowen. 

Pond,  Raymond 14....1272Lym«».n  Av,  R'v'ns'd.lll.Student Robt.  W.  Rowen 

Pottlitzer,  Jack ll....LaFayette,  ind Student    Eli  B.  FelsentbaL 

Power,  Lilly 17....442  W.  70tb  St.,  CUy C.  F.  Atkinson. 

Pridmore,  Edith  S 32....58th  St.  &  Kimball  Av,  City.None J.  E.  Pridmore. 

Quetsch,  Jeannette  M 34....2596  N.  Ashland  Ave.,  City.. .Housewife Win.  J.  Guetsch. 

Radcliffe,  Annie 43....4604  Calumet  Ave.,  City Teacher Jas.  H.  Radclifle, 

Rankin,  Louise ll....Zanesville,  Ohio Student J.  PInkerton,  Jr. 

Rankin,  Martha  A 36. ..So.  Zanesville,  Ohio Housewife J.Pinkerton,  Jr. 

Rattey,  William  A 2I...917N.  Artesian  Ave.,  City. ..Machinist Chas.  J.  Rattey, 

Reed,  Nellie 24... 66  Rush  St.,  City Actress Herman  Schultz. 

Reed,  Wm.  M 68...Waukegan,  111 Assessor Geo.  Larsen 

Regensburg,  Adele 17...Vendome  Hotel,  City None J.H.  Regensburg. 

Regensburg,  Hazel 14...Vendome  Hotel,  City Student J.H.  Regensburg. 

Reid,  Clara  E 59...Waukegan,  111 Housewife. T.  E.  Loveday. 

Reidy,  Anna 27... 614  S.  Sawyer  Ave.,  City Teacher Jno.  J.  Reidy. 

Reidy,  Elonora 20. ..614  S.  Sawyer  Ave.,  City Helper Geo.  W.  Lyon. 

Reidy,  Mary 32. ..614  S.  Sawyer  Ave.,  City Housework  ...Jno.  J.  Reidy. 

Reinhold,  Leroy 4. ..939  Northwestern  Ave Chas.  Reinhold. 

Reiss,  Erna 10.. .4244  Vincennes  Ave.,  City. ...Student  Sam.Spielberger. 

Reiss,  Ernest 11. ..4244  Vincennes  Ave.,  City. ...Student  Albert  Eager. 

Reiss,  Mrs.  Marion 35.. .4244  Vincennes  Ave.,  City.. ..Housewife Otto  Fautl. 

Reiter,  Mrs.  Irene 60.. .3000  Michigan  Ave.,  City None J.  J.  Keating. 

Reynolds,  Barbara  L 28.. . 1286  E.  Ravenswood  Park 

Ravenswood,  111 Housewife W.  D.  Reynolds. 

Reynolds,  Dora  Lucille.l4...421  E.  45th  St.,  City Student J.J.  Reynolds. 

Reynolds,  Emma  J 7. ..1286  E.  Ravenswood  Ave., 

Ravenswood,  111 Student W.  D.  Reynolds. 

Richardson,  Henry  L.... 49. ..5737  Drexel  Ave.,  City Student A.H.Richardson. 

Rimes,  Bertha  L 38. ..6331  Wentworth  Ave.,  City..Housewife WP\  Rimes. 

Rimes,  Lloyd 5. ..6331  Wentworth  Ave.,  City  ..None C.  H.  Rimes 

Rimes,  Dr.  Mervin 38. ..6331  Wentworth  Ave.,  City..Dentist W.  S.  Pullen. 

Rimes,  Myron  L 10. ..6331  Wentworth  Ave.,  City..Student  W.  S.  Pullen. 

Rimes,  T.  Martin, 7...6331  Wentworth  Ave.,  City  ..Student  W.  S.  Pullen. 

Rife,  Jennie  E 31...516E.  46th  St.,  City Housewife W.  Rife. 

Robbins  Ruth  M 17.. .924  Jenifer  St.,Madison,Wis.Student  C.  H.  Robbins 

Roberts,  Charles  L 38....279  Drake  Ave.,  City Clergyman  ... 

Roberts,  Theodore 44....  Woodford,  Ohio Farner C.  B.  Mead. 

Robinson,  Minnie 15....Edgewater,  111 Attendant W.  C.  Robinson. 

Rothe,  Lillian 10....7218  LaFayette  Ave.,  City.. ..Student Edmund  Duse. 

Rogers,  Rose  K 32....1342N.  Sawyer  Ave.,  City.. ..Housewife S.  B.  Rogers. 

Rubly,  Mrs.  Louisa 65....S38  Wilson  Ave.,  City Housewife G.  H.  Rubly. 

Ruhleman,  Clara 63....Detroit,  Mich Housekeeper.Arthur  Anger. 

Saville,  Warner 12....48  E.  53d  St.,  City Student, R.  C.  Campbell. 

Sands,  Mrs.  Amelia  T....50....Tolono,  111 Housewife R.  E.  Sands. 

Sands,  Jessie 12....Tolono,  III Student J.  P.  Danson. 

Sayre,  Miss  Carrie  A 30....7646  Bond  Ave.,  City Teacher J.  M.  Murphy. 

Schaffner,  Minnie  H 34....57S  E.  45th  Place,  City Teacher M.  J.  Schaffner. 

Seott,  Burr 22....Binghampton,  N.  Y Actor G.  B.  Williams. 

Skarupa,  Nellie 26....Longwood,  Bronx,  N.  Y Seamstress  ...Henry  Eds. 

Schmidt,  Rosamond 18....335  W.  61st  St.,  City Student H.  G,  Schmidt. 


LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE  CHICAGO   HORROR.  417 

Name.  Age.  Residence.  Occupation.  Identified  by. 

Schneider,  James 30....157  Roscoe  Boul.,  City Teacher L.  Schaefer. 

Schneider,  Dora  J 22....157  Roscoe  St.,  City Housewife 1..  Schaefer. 

Schonbeck,  Anna 35....402E.  Division  St.,  City Housewife  ....Carl  Kchonbeelr. 

Schoubeck,  Elvira 8....402  K.  Division  St.,  City Carl  Schonbec*. 

Schneider,  G.  Greiner....21....437  Belden  Ave.,  City student  L.  A.  Beaton. 

(  E.  A.Sehi  lener. 
Schrelner,  Arline  F (J. ..2188  W.  Monroe  St.,  City student J  H  B  S(.urellier. 

Schrelner,  Minnie  L 30...2183  W.  Monroe  St.,  City None H.  B.  Schreluer. 

schreiuer,  Irma   May...  5. ..2183  W.  Monroe  St.,  City H.  B.  Schrelner. 

Secrist,  Hattle 40. ..2839PaulinaSt.,Ravens'd, 111. Housewife C.  D.  Hussey. 

Secrlst,  June 8...2889PaulinaSt.,Ravensd,Ill.Student C.  D.  Hussey. 

Seymour,  Joseph 22...75K  VV.  Lake  St.,  City Usher Cord.  Seymour. 

Shabad,  Myrtle 14. .4441  Indiana  Ave.,  City Student II.  M.  Shabad. 

Shabad,  Theodore r_M  ....  loll  Indiana  Ave.,  City School  boy \iy.  .M.  Shu  bad. 

Sheridan,  Andrew  J 45. .4155  Wentworth  Ave.,  City... Loco.Engln'r.Frank  Ctlock. 

Shiners,  Alice 26...48441  oakenwald  Ave.,  City. ..Domestic '1  bos.  Grace. 

Sill,  Lucie  A 95..J6M  Uuiou  Ave.,  city Teacher A.  S.  Hall. 

Simpson,  Ada ...brush,  Colo House  v\lfe J  as.  G.  Skinner. 

Smith,  Ruth  M 15. ..2177  Washington  Boul., City. Student ("has.  K. Smith. 

Smith,  Mrs.  F.  F 85...Desplalnes,  III Hou.seuife F.  F.  Smith. 

Smith,  Maurine  W 13...Desplaines,  HI Student F.  F  Smltb. 

Specht,  Fva 12.  ..6542  Stewart  Ave,  City student Clara  L.  Kinney. 

Specht,  Jane B5...6642  Stewart  A\e.,  City Housewife Clara  L.  Kinney. 

Spencer,  Josephine 16.. .7110  Princeton  Ave., city Student Geo.  G.  Speucer. 

Spring,  Ellen  E 65. .420  Foster  Ave., City HOOMVI  Ife       s.  X.  Spring. 

Spring,  Edwina  C :►>... 420  Foster  Ave.,  City S.  N. Spring. 

Spring,  Florence  Inez 27. ..657  Fine  Grove  Ave.,  City.  ...Housewife Uobt.  T.  Gllmuic. 

Spring,  Sr.,  W.  N 76. .420  Foster  Ave., City Retired  &  .M.S.  N  .  Spring. 

Spindier,  Etta  B 33... Lowell,  Ind Housewife J.  H.  Splndier. 

Spindler,  H.  Burdette 9... Lowell,  lnd Student I.  l\  Splndier. 

Stafford,  Bessie  M 30...1258  Wilcox  Ave.,  City Housewife F.  H.  Stafford. 

Stark,  M.  N.  M 38...Des  Moines,  Iowa Housewife W.  H.  Ctt. 

Stark  Minnie  G h7...Des  Moines,  Iowa -Housewife Lynn  J.  Tuttle. 

Steinmetz,  Emma 50. ..2541  S.  Halsted  St.,  City Housewife O.T.P.  Stein metz 

Stern,  Martin 80...1385  Congress  St.,  City Clerk Adam  Stern. 

Stillman,  Cora .22...Palo  Alto,  Cal E.  H.  Mulligan. 

Stoddard,  Donald ll...Minonk,  111 Student  F.  J.  Simater. 

Stoddard,  Zedell 30..Minonk,  111 F.  J.  Simater. 

Stratman,  Ruth 15...Dodgeville,  Ind Student Wm.  Ft  ting. 

Strong,  Elizabeth 56. ..10  Oakland  Crescent,  City...  Widow H.  V.  Badger. 

Strong,  Florence  May 24. ..10  Oakland  Crescent,  City... Housewife H.  A.  Badger. 

Strawbridge,  Mary  A.  _...  51.  .849  Jackson  Boul,  City Widow Q,  M.  Hammond. 

Studley,  Geo.  W 35. ..3029  Parnell  Ave.,  City Minister W.  M.  Morrison. 

Sullivan,  Ells 24...Knoxville,  Iowa Teacher s.  M.  Perrlgo. 

Squire,  Olive  E 14...942Cuyler  Ave.,  City student Oscar  \V.  s.juire. 

Sutton,  Harry  B 17. ..1595  W.  Adams  St.,  City Student  P.  A.  Mallen. 

Swarts,  Marie  Bertha ll...Custer  Park,  111 Student  Mrs.A.  A.  Taylor. 

Swayze,  Eloise 16...S*.  Marys,  Ind Student {uto 'v^R^eri 

Sylvester,  Electa  A 83... City Bookkeeper  ..E.  L.  Sylvester. 

Taylor,  Emma  R 31...1222  Morse  Ave.,  Rogers  Pk.Housewife,....H.  M.  Taylor. 

Taylor,  Flora 16...Evanston,  111 Student Wm.  J.  Taylor. 

Taylor,  James  M 60. ..1222  Morse  Ave.,  Rogers  Pk.Real  Estate  ...Albert  A.  Taylor. 

Taylor,  Rene  Mary 12. ..1222  Morse  Ave.,  Rogers  Pk.Student H.  M.  Taylor. 

Thacaer,  Walter S8...S41  W.  80th  PL,  City Salesman Francis  Thachtr. 

N.Y.  27 


418  LIST  OF  VICTIMS  OF  THE   CHICAGO   HORROR. 

Name,  Age.  Residence.  Occupation.         Identified  by. 

Thomas,  Remington  H..  8...62  Woodland  Park Student F.  H.  Thomas. 

Thompson,  Clarence  J...22... Kansas  City,  Mo Tr.  Salesman.  Vern.  Thompson 

Thompson,  Clyde 21. .. Madison,  S.  Dak Student J.  P.  Hoyland 

Thompson,  Robert  S 70...4347Forrestville  Ave.,  City Vern.  Thompson 

Thoin,  Clara 17.. .Lake  Geneva,  111 Nurse Maud  Parcells. 

Tobias,  Florence 34. ..City Teacher Dr.  G.  J.  Tobias. 

Torney,  Marie  E 27... 1292  W.Adams  St.,  City Teacher Austin  E.Torney. 

Trask,  Mrs.  H.  Bates....  50...228  Clay  St.,  Ottawa,  111 Housewife Julia  E.  Trask. 

Trask,  Odessa  C 14. ..228  Clay  St.,  Otta way,  1 11 Student R.  H.  Trask 

Turney,  Miss  Carrie...  .  S5...534  E.  50th  St.,  City Milliner C.M.Bennett. 

Turney,  Mrs.  Sasan 55...S34  E.  50th  St.,  City Widow C.  M.  Bennett. 

Tuttle,  Edith, 31...Des  Moines,  Iowa Housewife Lynn  J.  Tuttle. 

Tuttle,  Grace 40...18  Wisconsin  St„  City Housewife Robt.  W.  Rowen. 

Vallely,  Berenice 11...858  S.  Sawyer  Ave.,  City Student Jno.  L.  Vallely. 

Vallely,  Edith  B S5...858  S.  Sawyer  Ave.,  City Housewife Jno.  L.  Vallely. 

Van  Ingeu,  Edward 20. ..Kenosha,  Wis Clerk  Thos.  Hansen. 

Van  Ingen,  Elizabeth....  9. ..358 Park  Av.,  Kenosha,  Wis.  Student Lulu  Trenary. 

Van  Ingen,  Grace 22. ..Kenosha,  Wis L.  E.Kaltenbach. 

Van  Ingen,  John 18. ..Kenosha,  Wis Student  Thos.  Hansen. 

Van  Ingen,  Margareth.  14. ..Kenosha,  Wis Student L.  E.Kaltenbach. 

Wachs,  Ella 41. ..La  Porte,  Ind Saleslady F.  C.  Flentye. 

Wagner,  Maryanne 43...029  Sedgwick  St.,  City Housewife.  ...Chas.  S.  Wagner. 

Waldman,  Sam 44...608  Milwaukee  Ave.,  City....Dep.  Ct.  Clk...  {"*?£  wmuSSs^" 

Washington,  Frieda 23. ..1847  Melrose  St.,  City Housekeeper  Percy  L.  Barter. 

Washington,  John  10. ..1847  Melrose  St.,  City Student Percy  L.  Barter. 

Weber,  Mrs.  Carrie 49. ..402  Garfield  Ave.,  City Housewife  ....Jno.  J.  Weber. 

Week,  Errick 28. ..504  Garfield  Av.,  Milwaukee  Furrier Kate  Doellingen. 

Weiners,  Ida 42. ..1970  Kimball  Ave.,  City Housewife  ....Geo.  H.  Rubly. 

Welnfeld,  Hannah 20...3745  Wabash  Ave.,  City Jos.  Weinleld. 

Weiskopf,  Irma 15. ..4939  Champlain  Ave.,  City. ..Student  D.  W.  Weiskopf. 

Wells,  Donald 12...1888  Diversey  Boul.,  City Student  S.  P.  Wells,  Jr. 

Welton,  Susie  Alice 32...C241  Kimbark  Ave.,  City Teacher F.  D.  Campbell. 

Wermich,  Mary 20. ..841  Center  St.,  City Servant  Anna  Appel. 

Wetmore,  Francis  E 31. ..10619  Drew,  Wash.  Heights,  Librarian M.  T.  Wetmore. 

White,  Florence  0 25...437  E.  38th  St.,  City Teacher Jno.  F.  Meehan. 

White,  Harriet  A 27...107th  and  Drew  Sts.,  Wash- 
ington Heights,  111 Housewife  ....Carlos  F.  White- 

Wilcox,  Eva  M 47...109  S.  Leavitt  St.,  City Housewife  ....Cha§.  H.  Wilcox. 

Witkofsky,  Yetta S2...336  W.  12th  St.,  City Housewife  ....Morris  Witkofsky 

Williams,  Howard  J 18.. .218  S.  Leavitt  St.,  City  Student Geo.  P.  Blair. 

Winder,  Barry I2...201S.  Harvey,  Oak  Park,  111.  Student  Thos.  Winder. 

Winder,  Paul  17...201  S.Harvey,  Oak  Park,  111.  Student Thos.  Winder. 

Winslow,  Chas.E 48. ..Thief  River  Falls,  Minn Asst.  Mngr.  ...Edward  Browne. 

Wolf,  Sadie 2G...Hammond,  Ind Leo  Wolf. 

Wolff,  Harriot 10...1319  Washington  Boul.,  City  Student  F.  H.  Wolff. 

Woods,  Mrs.  I.  L 49...5S7  63th  St.,  City Housewife  ....S.  S.  Finley. 

Wunderlich,  Helen  M.  ...10. ..834  Wilson  Ave.,  City Student  H.  Wunderlich. 

Wunderlich,  L.  Perle 36. ..834  Wilson  Ave.,  City Housewife  ....Dr.  E.  N.  Elliott. 

Woltmann,  Otto 29...331  E.  43d  St.,  City Baker  Adolf  Woltmann. 

Wigfall,  Emilie  C 57...4467  Oakenwald  Ave.,  City...Milliner «F.  T.  Selsmer. 

Zeisler,  Walter  B 17...8256  Lake  Park  Ave.,  City. ..Student Jos.  Hyman. 

Zimmerman,  Elizabeth 23...945  St.  Louis  Ave.,  City Teacher Jno.  F.  Craddock 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 
OTHER  APPAUJNG  TRAGEDIES   CAUSED 
BY  FIRE. 

CHICAGO  is  not  alone  in  her  great  agony.  Hers  is 
one  of  the  most  awful  holocausts  of  which  we  have 
any  record,  but  other  communities  have  been  smitten  by 
consuming  fire.  The  pages  of  history  have  often  been 
lighted  by  the  lurid  glare  of  flames.  Since  the  time  that 
civilized  man  first  met  with  fellow  man  to  enjoy  the  work 
of  the  primitive  playwright,  humanity  has  paid  a  toll  of 
human  life  for  its  amusements. 

Oftener  than  history  tells,  the  tiny  flicker  of  a  tongue 
of  flame  has  thrown  a  gay,  laughing  audience  into  a  wild, 
struggling  mob,  and  instead  of  the  curtain  which  would 
have  been  rung  down  on  the  comedy  on  the  stage,  a  pall 
of  black  smoke  covered  the  struggles  of  the  living  and 
dying. 

Of  all  the  theatre  disasters  of  history,  none  ever 
occurred  in  America  equaling  the  loss  of  life  in  the 
Iroquois  fire.  But  the  grand  total  of  persons  killed  in 
theatre  holocausts  is  large  and  the  saddest  comment  on 
this  list  is  that  most  of  the  victims  were  from  holiday 
audiencto  of  women  and  children. 

To  all  have  been  the  same  accompaniments  of  panic, 
futile  struggle  and  suffocation.  In  the  last  century  with 
the  introduction  of  the  modern  style  of  playhouse,  these 
fatal  fires  have  increased.  The  annals  of  the  stage  are 
replete  with  dark  pages  that  cause  the  tragedy  of  the 
mimic  drama  depicted  behind  the  footlights  to  pale  and 
shrivel  into  comparative  nothingness. 

Perhaps  it  is  a  fatal  legacy  from  the  time  when 
civilized  society  gathered  in  its  marbled  coliseums  and 

410 


120  OTHER  TRAGEDIES  CAUSED  BY  FIRE. 

amphitheaters  to  witness  the  mortal  combats  of  human 
soldiers  or  the  death  struggles  of  Christians  waging  a 
vain  battle  against  famished  wild  beasts.  Whatever  it 
may  be,  death  has  always  stalked  as  the  dread  companion 
of  the  god  of  the  muse  and  drama. 

An  English  statistician  published  in  1898  a  list  of 
fires  at  places  of  public  entertainment  ill  all  countries  in 
the  preceding  century.  He  showed  that  there  had  been 
1,100  conflagrations,  with  10,000  fatalities,  and  he  apolo- 
gized for  the  incompleteness  of  his  figures.  Another 
authority  says  that  in  the  twelve  years  from  1876  to  1888 
not  less  than  1,700  were  killed  in  theatre  disasters  in 
Brooklyn,  Nice,  Vienna,  Paris,  Exeter  and  Oporto,  and 
that  in  every  case  nearly  all  the  victims  were  dead  within 
ten  minutes  from  the  time  the  smoke  and  flame  from  the 
stage  reached  the  auditorium.  As  in  the  Iroquois  fire,  it 
was  mainly  in  the  balconies  and  galleries  that  death  held 
its  revels. 

EARLY  THEATRICAL  CONFLAGRATIONS. 

Fire  wrought  havoc  at  Rome  in  the  Amphitheater  in 
the  year  14  b.  c,  and  the  Circus  Maximus  was  similarly 
destroyed  three  times  in  the  first  century  of  the  Christian 
era.  Three  other  theatres  were  razed  by  flames  in  the 
same  period,  and  Pompeii's  was  burned  again  almost  two 
centuries  later,  but  the  exact  loss  of  life  is  not  recorded 
in  either  instance.  The  Greek  playhouses,  built  of  stone 
in  open  spaces,  were  never  endangered  by  fire. 

No  theatres  were  built  on  the  modern  plan  until  in 
the  sixteenth  century  in  France,  and  not  until  in  the 
seventeenth  did  any  catastrophe  worthy  of  record  occur. 
When  Shakespeare  lived  plays  were  generally  produced 
in  temporary  structures,  sometimes  merely  raised  plat- 


OTHER   TRAGEDIES  CAUSED   BY   FIRE.  42 1 

forms  in  open  squares,  and  it  was  after  his  time  that 
scenic  effects  began  to  be  amplified  and  the  use  of  illumi- 
nants  increased.  Thus  it  was  that  dangers,  both  to 
players  and  auditors,  were  vastly  increased. 

In  the  Teatro  Atarazanas,  in  Seville,  Spain,  many 
people  were  killed  and  injured  at  a  fire  in  161 5.  The  first 
conflagration  of  this  kind  in  England  worth  noting  hap- 
pened in  1672,  when  the  Theatre  Royal,  or  Drury  Lane, 
standing  on  the  site  of  the  playhouse  in  which  "  Mr.  Blue- 
beard "  was  produced  before  it  was  brought  to  Chicago, 
was  burned  to  the  ground.  Sixty  other  buildings  were 
destroyed,  but  no  loss  of  life  is  recorded. 

BURNING  OF  THE  PALAIS  ROYAL,  PARIS. 

Two  hundred  and  ten  people  lost  their  lives  and  the 
whole  Castle  of  Amalienborg,  in  Copenhagen,  was  laid  in 
ashes  in  1689,  from  a  rocket  that  ignited  the  scenery  in 
the  opera  house.  Eighteen  persons  perished  at  the  theatre 
in  the  Kaizersgracht,  Amsterdam,  in  1772,  and  six  years 
later  the  Teatro  Colisseo,  at  Saragossa,  Spain,  went  up  in 
flames  and  seventy-seven  lives  were  lost.  The  governor 
of  the  province  was  among  the  victims.  Twenty  players 
were  suffocated  in  the  burning  of  the  Palais  Royal,  in 
Paris,  in  1781. 

In  the  nineteenth  century  there  were  twelve  theatre 
fires  marked  by  great  loss  of  life,  and  the  first  of  these 
occurred  in  the  United  States.  At  Richmond,  on  the  day 
after  Christmas  in  181 1,  a  benefit  performance  of"  Agnes 
and  Raymond,  or  the  Bleeding  Nun,"  was  being  given, 
and  the  theatre  was  filled  with  a  wealthy  and  fashionable 
audience.  The  governor  of  Virginia,  George  W.  Smith, 
ex-United  States  Senator  Venable,  and  other  prominent 
persons  were  in  the  audience  and  were  numbered  among 


422  OTHER  TRAGEDIES  CAUSED  BY  FIRE. 

the  seventy  victims.  The  last  act  was  on  when  the  care- 
less hoisting  of  a  stage  chandelier  with  lighted  candles 
set  fire  to  the  scenery.  Most  of  those  killed  met  death  in 
the  jam  at  the  doors. 

The  Lehman  Theatre  and  circus  in  St.  Petersburg 
was  the  scene  of  a  fire  in  1836,  in  which  hundreds  of  peo- 
ple perished.  A  stage  lamp  hung  high  ignited  the  roof,  a 
panic  ensued,  and  there  was  such  a  mad  rush  that  most 
of  the  people  slew  each  other  trying  to  get  out.  Those  not 
trampled  to  death  were  incinerated  by  the  fire  that  rapidly 
enveloped  the  temporary  wooden  building. 

STAMPEDE   IN    ROYAL  THEATRE,    QUEBEC. 

A  lighted  lamp,  upset  in  a  wing,  caused  a  stampede  in 
the  Royal  Theatre,  Quebec,  June  12th,  1846,  and  one 
hundred  people  were  either  burned  or  crushed  into  lifeless- 
ness.  The  exits  were  poor  and  the  playhouse  was  built 
of  combustible  material.  Less  than  a  year  later  the 
Grand  Ducal  Theatre  at  Carlsruhe,  Baden,  Germany,  was 
destroyed  by  a  fire,  due  to  the  careless  lighting  of  the 
gas  in  the  grand  ducal  box.  Most  of  the  one  hundred  and 
fifty  victims  were  suffocated.  Between  fifty  and  one  hun- 
dred people  met  a  fiery  death  in  the  Teatro  degli  Aqui- 
dotti  at  Leghorn,  Italy,  June  7th,  1857.  Fireworks  were 
being  used  on  the  stage  and  a  rocket  set  fire  to  the 
scenery. 

One  of  the  most  serious  fires,  from  the  standpoint  of 
loss  of  life,  was  that  in  the  Jesuit  Church  at  Santiago, 
South  America,  in  1863.  Fire  broke  out  in  the  building 
during  service.  A  panic  started  and  the  efforts  of  the 
priests  to  calm  the  immense  crowd  and  lead  them  quietly 
from  the  edifice  were  vain.  The  few  doors  became  jam- 
med with  a  struggling  mass  of  men,  women  and  children. 


OTHER  TRAGEDIES  CAUSED  BY  FIRE.  !  -  I 

The  next  day  two  thousand  bodies  were  taken  from  the 
church,  most  of  them  suffocated  or  trampled  to  death. 

The  Brooklyn  Theatre  fire  was  long  memorable  in 
this  country.  Songs,  funeral  marches  and  poems  without 
number  were  written  commemorating  the  sad  event.  Vastly 
different  from  the  Iroquois  horror,  most  of  the  victims  oi 
the  Brooklyn  Theatre  were  burned  beyond  recognition. 
At  Greenwood  cemetery,  in  Brooklyn,  there  now  stands  a 
marble  shaft  to  the  unidentified  victims  of  the  holocaust. 

BROOKLYN  THEATRE    FIRE. 

Kate  Claxton  was  playing  "  The  Two  Orphans "  at 
Conway's  Theatre,  in  Brooklyn,  on  the  night  of  December 
5,  1876.  In  the  last  scene  of  the  last  act  Miss  Claxton 
as  Louise,  the  poor  blind  girl,  had  just  lain  down  on  hei 
pallet  of  straw,  when  she  saw  above  her  in  the  flies  a  tiny 
flame.  An  actor  named  Murdoch,  on  the  stage  with  her, 
saw  it  about  the  same  time,  and  was  so  excited  that  he 
began  to  stammer  his  lines.  Miss  Claxton  tried  to  reassure 
him  and  partly  succeeded. 

Then  the  audience  realized  that  the  theatre  was  on 
fire,  and  a  movement  began.  The  star,  with  Mr.  Murdoch 
and  Mrs.  Farren,  joined  hands,  walked  to  the  footlights 
and  begged  the  audience  to  go  out  in  an  orderly  manner. 
"  You  see,  we  are  between  you  and  the  fire,"  said  Miss 
Claxton.  The  people  were  proceeding  quietly,  when  a 
man's  voice  shouted,  "  It  is  time  to  be  out  of  this,"  and 
every  one  seemed  seized  with  a  frenzy.  The  main  entrance 
doors  opened  inwardly,  and  there  was  such  a  jam  that 
these  could  not  be  manipulated. 

The  crowds  from  the  galleries  rushed  down  the  stair- 
ways and  fell  or  jumped  headlong  into  the  struggling  mass 
below.     Of  the  1000  people  in  the  theatre  297  perished. 


424  OTHER  TRAGEDIES  CAUSED  BY  FIRE. 

They  were  either  burned,  suffocated  or  trampled  to  death. 
The  actor  Murdoch  was  one  of  the  victims. 

The  same  year,  1876,  a  panic  resulted  in  the  Chinese 
theatre  of  San  Francisco  from  a  cry  of  fire.  A  lighted 
cigar,  which  someone  had  playfully  dropped  into  a  specta- 
tor's coat  pocket,  caused  a  smell  of  burning  wool.  The 
audience  became  panic  stricken  and  rushed  madly  for 
the  exits.  At  the  time  there  were  about  nine  hundred 
Americans  in  the  auditorium,  and  of  this  number  one- 
quarter  were  seriously  injured.  The  fire  itself  was  of  no 
consequence. 

RING  THEATRE.,  VIENNA,  BURNED. 

The  destruction  of  the  Ring  theatre  at  Vienna, 
December  8,  1881,  remains  the  greatest  horror  of  the 
kind  in  the  history  of  civilization.  It  was  preceded  on 
March  23  of  the  same  year,  by  the  burning  of  the  Muni- 
cipal theatre  in  Nice,  caused  by  an  explosion  of  gas,  and 
in  which  between  150  and  200  people  perished  miserably, 
but  the  magnitude  of  the  Vienna  holocaust  made  the 
world  forget  Nice  for  the  time.  The  feast  of  the  Immacr*- 
late  Conception  was  being  celebrated  by  the  Viennese 
and  Offenbach's  "  Les  Contes  d' Hoffman,"  an  opera  bouffe, 
was  the  play.     The  audience  numbered  2,500. 

Fire  was  suddenly  observed  in  the  scenery,  and  wild 
panic  started.  An  iron  curtain,  designed  for  just  such 
emergencies,  was  forgotten,  and  the  flames,  which  might 
thus  have  been  confined  to  the  stage,  spread  furiously 
through  the  entire  building.  The  scene  was  changed 
from  light-hearted  revelry,  with  gladsome  music,  to  one  of 
lurid  horror. 

The  exits  from  the  galleries  were  long  and  tortuous 
and  quickly  became  choked.     As  in  the  Iroquois  theatre 


OTHER   TRAGEDIES  CAUSED   BY   FIRE.  40J 

fire,  those  who  had  occupied  the  gallery  seats  were  the 
ones  who  lost  their  lives.  But  few  escaped  from  the 
galleries.  The  great  majority  of  the  spectators  were 
burned  beyond  recognition  by  their  nearest  relatives. 
One  hundred  and  fifty  were  so  charred  that  they  were 
buried  in  a  common  grave,  and  the  city's  mourning  was 
shared  by  all  the  world. 

The  next  fire  of  this  nature  to  attract  the  world's  atten- 
tion and  sympathy  was  the  destruction  of  the  Circus  Ferron, 
at  BerditschefF,  Russian  Poland.  Four  hundred  and  thirty 
people  were  killed,  and  eighty  mortally  injured.  Many 
children  were  crushed  and  suffocated  in  the  jam,  and 
horses  and  other  trained  animals  perished  by  the  score. 
This  was  on  January  13,  1883,  and  the  origin  of  the  con- 
flagration was  traced  to  a  stableman  who  smoked  a  cigarette 
while  lying  in  a  heap  of  straw. 

TWO    GREAT    HORRORS    CAUSED    BY    FIRE. 

The  burning  of  the  Opera  Comique  in  Paris,  May  25, 
1887,  was  a  spectacular  horror.  Here  again  an  iron  cur- 
tain that  would  have  protected  the  audience  was  not  low- 
ered. The  first  act  of  "  Mignon  "  was  on,  when  the  scen- 
ery was  observed  to  be  ablaze.  The  upper  galleries  were 
transformed  into  infernos,  in  which  men  knocked  other 
men  and  women  down  and  trampled  them  in  their  eager- 
ness to  save  themselves,  while  the  flames  reached  out  and 
enveloped  them  all. 

Many  of  the  actors  and  actresses  escaped  only  in 
their  costumes,  and  some  rushed  nude  into  the  streets. 
The  scenes  in  the  thoroughfares  where  men  and  women 
in  tights  and  ball  dresses  and  men  in  gorgeous  theatrical 
robes  mingled  with  the  naked,  and  the  dead  and  dying 
were  strewn  about,  made  a  picture  fantastically  terrible. 


426  OTHER  TRAGEDIES  CAUSED  BY  FIRE. 

The  official  list  of  dead  was  seventy-five,  but  many  others 
died  from  the  fire's  effects. 

The  theatre  at  Exeter,  England,  burned  Sept.  5,  1887, 
was  ignited  from  gas  lights,  and  so  much  smoke  filled  the 
edifice  in  a  short  time  that  near  200  were  suffocated  in 
their  seats.  They  were  found  sitting  there  afterward, 
just  as  though  they  were  still  watching  the  play.  This 
was  the  eleventh,  and  the  Oporto  fire  the  twelfth  of  the 
big  conflagrations  of  the  century.  One  hundred  and  sev- 
enty dead  were  taken  from  the  ruins  of  the  Portuguese 
playhouse  after  the  flames  which  destroyed  it  on  the  even- 
ing of  March  31,  1888,  had  been  subdued.  Many  sailors 
and  marine  soldiers  in  the  galleries  used  knives  to  kill 
persons  standing  in  their  way,  and  scores  of  the  victims 
were  found  with  their  throats  cut. 

ANOTHER  PARISIAN  HORROR. 

Ten  years  after  the  Opera  Coniique  fire  occurred  the 
greatest  of  all  Parisian  horrors,  the  destruction  by  flames 
of  the  charity  bazar,  May  4,  1897.  Members  of  the  no- 
bility, and  even  royalty,  were  among  the  victims.  All  of 
fashionable  Paris  were  under  the  roof  of  a  temporary 
wooden  edifice  known  to  visitors  to  the  exposition  of  1889 
as  "Old  Paris."  The  annual  bazar  in  the  interest  of 
charity  had  always  been  one  of  the  most  imposing  of  the 
spring  functions.  The  wealthy  and  distinguished,  titled 
and  modish  were  there  in  larger  numbers  than  on  any 
previous  occasion. 

The  fire  broke  out  with  a  suddenness  that  so  dazed 
everyone  that  the  small  chance  of  escape  from  the  flimsy 
structure  was  made  even  less.  Duchesses,  marquises, 
countesses,  baronesses  and  grand  dames  joined  in  the  mad 
rush   for  the  exits.     The  men   present  are  said  to  have 


OTHER  TRAGEDIES  CAUSED  BY   FIRE.  4_7 

acted  in  a  particularly  cowardly  manner,  knocking  down 
and  trampling  upon  women  and  children.  The  death  list 
of  more  than  ioo  included  the  Duchesses  d'Aleucon  and 
De  St.  Didier,  the  Marquise  de  Maison,  and  three  barons, 
three  baronesses,  one  count,  eleven  countesses,  one  general, 
five  sisters  of  charity  and  one  mother  superior.  The 
Duchess  d'Alencon  was  the  favorite  sister  of  the  Empress 
of  Austria  and  had  been  a  fiance  of  the  mad  King  Ludwig 
of  Bavaria.  The  Duchess  d'Uzes  was  badly  burned.  The 
shock  of  the  news  and  the  death  of  his  niece,  the  Duchess 
d'Alencon,  accounted  for  the  death  on  May  7,  of  the  Due 
d'Auinale. 

GREAT  HOTEL  FIRE  IN   NEW  YORK. 

The  Gaiety  Theatre  in  Milwaukee,  on  November  5 
1869,  furnished  more  than  thirty  victims  to  the  fire  fiend, 
but  only  two  of  these  were  burned  to  death.  The  Central 
Theatre,  in  Philadelphia,  was  destroyed  April  28,  1892 
and  six  persons  perished.  A  panic  occurred  at  the  Front 
Street  playhouse,  in  Baltimore,  December  27,  1895,  among 
an  audience  composed  entirely  of  Polish  Jews.  There  was 
no  fire,  but  a  woman  who  had  seen  a  bright  light  on  the 
stage  thought  there  was,  and  her  cries  caused  a  stampede 
that  resulted  in  twenty-four  deaths. 

Two  deadly  conflagrations  occurred  in  New  York  in 
1900  The  first  the  Windsor  hotel  fire,  which  resulted 
in  the  death  of  eighty  persons.  Fire  broke  out  in  the  old 
hotel  on  Fifth  avenue  about  midnight.  With  lightning 
rapidity  the  flames  shot  up  the  light  and  air  shafts,  filling 
the  rooms  with  smoke  and  making  them  as  light  as  day. 
The  guests  suddenly  aroused  from  sleep  became  panic 
stricken.  The  fire  department  was  unable  to  throw  up 
ladders  and  give  aid  as  fast  as  frightened  faces  appeared 


428  OTHER  TRAGEDIES  CAUSED  BY  FIRE. 

at  the  windows.  The  result  was  that  many  jnmped  to 
death.  They  were  picked  up  dead  and  dying  in  the 
streets.  Others  ran  from  their  rooms  iuto  the  fire-swept 
hallways  and  were  burned  to  death. 

A  short  time  later  fire  broke  out  one  afternoon  on 
the  docks  across  the  river  from  New  York  at  Hoboken. 
The  fire  was  on  a  pier  piled  high  with  combustible 
material.  It  burned  like  powder,  spreading  to  the  ocean 
liners  tied  to  the  pier  and  the  efforts  of  the  fire  depart- 
ment were  not  effective  in  checking  it.  The  cables  which 
held  the  blazing  vessels  to  the  piers  burned  through  and 
they  drifted  into  the  river,  carrying  fire  and  death  among 
the  shipping.  Longshoremen  unloading  and  loading  the 
vessels  jumped  in  panic  into  the  river.  Others  found 
themselves  cut  off  from  both  land  and  water  by  the  flames 
on  all  sides  and  were  burned  like  rats  in  a  trap.  It  was 
estimated  that  300  lives  were  lost.  Many  bodies  were 
never  recovered  and  others  were  found  miles  down  the 
river. 

PROPERTY  AND    FINANCIAL  LOSSES. 

Property  losses  are  seldom  proportionate  to  the 
financial  losses  from  fire.  In  the  Iroquois  theatre  fire 
the  property  loss  was  almost  inconsequential,  while  at 
the  burning  of  Moscow  by  the  Russians,  Sept.  4,  181 2, 
the  property  loss  amounted  to  more  than  $150,000,000. 

Constantinople,  with  its  squalid  and  crowded  streets, 
has  always  been  a  fruitful  spot  for  fires.  They  are  of 
annual  occurrence  and  as  the  Turkish  fire  department  is 
a  travesty,  are  usually  of  considerable  magnitude.  The 
great  fire  of  that  city  was  in  1729,  when  12,000  houses 
were  destroyed  and  7,000  persons  burned  to  death.  Aug. 
12,    1782,   a  three   days'    fire    started   in   which    10,000 


OTHER  TRAGEDIES  CAUSED   BY   FIRE.  j_ 

houses,  50  corn  mills  and  100  mosques  were  burned  and 
100  lives  lost.  In  February  of  the  same  year,  600  bouses 
were  burned,  and  in  June  7,000  more.  Fires  are  the  best 
safeguards  for  Constantinople's  health. 

Great  Britain  has  had  comparatively  few  fires.  In 
1598  one  at  Tiverton  destroyed  400  houses  and  33  lives. 
In  1854  50  persons  were  killed  at  Gateshead.  The  great 
fire  of  London  raged  from  Sept.  2  to  6,  1666.  It  began 
in  a  wooden  building  in  Pudding  Lane  and  consumed  the 
buildings  on  436  acres,  blotting  out  400  streets,  13,200 
houses,  St.  Paul's  and  86  other  churches,  58  halls  and  all 
public  buildings,  three  of  the  city  gates  and  four  stone 
bridges.  The  property  loss  was  $53,652,500,  while  only 
six  persons  were  killed. 

FIRES  IN    LARGE    AMERICAN  CITIES. 

Nearly  every  large  city  of  the  United  States  has  had 
its  great  fire.  That  of  Boston  was  on  Nov.  9  and  10, 
1872.  Fire  started  at  Summer  and  Kingston  streets  and 
65  acres  were  burned  over.  The  property  loss  was  about 
$75,000,000  and  there  was  no  loss  of  life. 

The  great  fire  in  New  York  began  in  Merchant  street, 
Dec.  16,  1835.  No  lives  were  lost,  but  the  property  lost 
was  $15,000,000  and  52  acres  were  devastated,  530  build- 
ings being  destroyed.  Ten  years  later  a  much  smaller 
fire  in  the  same  district  caused  the  death  of  35  persons. 

July  9,  1850,  thirty  lives  were  lost  in  Philadelphia, 
and  February  8,  1865,  twenty  persons  were  killed  by  an- 
other fire.  Large  fires  in  that  city  have  almost  invariably 
been  accompanied  by  loss  of  life. 

As  the  result  of  a  Fourth  of  July  celebration  in  1866, 
nearly  half  of  Portland,  Maine.,  was  swept  away  by  fire. 
The  property  loss  was  $10,000,000,  but  there  was  no  loss 


430  OTHER  TRAGEDIES  CAUSED   BY  FIRE. 

of  life.  In  September  and  October  of  1871,  forest  fires 
raged  in  Wisconsin  and  Michigan.  An  immense  territory 
was  swept  over  and  more  than  1,000  persons  lost  their 
lives. 

The  greatest  fire  of  modern  times  was  the  one  which 
started  in  Chicago,  October  8,  187 1.  A  strip  through  the 
heart  of  the  city,  four  miles  long  and  a  mile  and  a  half 
wide,  was  burned  over.  The  total  lost  was  $196,000,000 
and  250  persons  lost  their  lives.  By  the  fire  17,450  build- 
ings were  destroyed  and  98,860  persons  made  homeless. 

Fires  in  Chicago  attended  with  loss  of  life  have  been 
of  increasing  frequency  in  the  past  few  years.  Fire  in 
the  Henning  &  Speed  building  on  Dearborn  street,  in 
1900,  caused  4  girls  to  lose  their  lives.  Since  it  and  before 
the  Iroquois  disaster  have  come  :  The  St.  Luke  Sanitarium 
horror,  10  lives  lost,  43  injured;  the  Doremus  laundry 
explosion,  8  lives  lost ;  the  American  Glucose  Sugar 
Refinery  blaze,  8  killed ;  Northwestern  boiler  explosion, 
8  killed;  Stock  Yards  boiler  explosion,  18  killed,  and 
about  a  year  ago  the  Lincoln  hotel  fire,  14  visiting  stock- 
men suffocated. 

In  view  of  this  terrible  array  of  suffering  and  death, 
it  would  seem  that  no  precaution  could  be  too  great 
to  avert  future  calamities.  But  although  human  life  is 
beyond  price,  it  is  probable  that  the  world  at  large  will 
move  on  very  much  in  the  same  old  way — an  arousing 
and  an  upheaval  of  public  sentiment  for  a  time  after  the 
burned  and  maimed  have  been  laid  away,  and  then  a 
gradual  return  of  carelessness.  It  would  seem  impossible, 
however,  that  the  United  States  could  forget  for  many 
generations  the  Iroquois  disaster,  and  that  it  must  result 
in  a  final  reform  of  all  arrangements  looking  to  the  safety 
of  theatre  goers. 


OTHER  APPALLING  TRAGEDIES  CAUSED    BY  FIRE.        431 

On  February  7,  1904,  Baltimore  was  visited  by  a 
catastrophe  which  is  without  a  parallel  in  the  history  of 
that  city.  The  heart  of  the  business  section  was  devas- 
tated by  fire.  Block  after  block  of  valuable  buildings 
was  swept  away  by  a  conflagration  which  raged  with  a 
fierceness  and  destructiveness  that  neither  the  skill  nor 
the  courage  of  the  firemen  could  stay.  Millions  of 
property  were  lost  and  thousands  of  persons  deprived  of 
employment.  It  was  a  cruel  blow  to  the  material  inter- 
ests of  Baltimore,  but  not  a  crushing  one  ;  for  the  busi- 
ness men  of  the  city,  with  undaunted  spirit,  proved 
themselves  equal  to  the  occasion,  stupendous  as  the  dis- 
aster was,  and  long  as  its  effects  will  be  felt. 

HELP  HURRIED    FROM  OTHER    PLACES. 

Starting  Sunda}^  morning  in  the  centre  of  the  busi- 
ness district,  the  fire  ate  its  way  from  block  to  block  with 
a  swiftness  that  was  almost  inconceivable.  The  entire 
fire  department  was  called  into  service  and  assistance  was 
requested  from  other  cities.  Washington  and  Philadel- 
phia responded  promptly.  The  detachment  of  fire  fight- 
ers from  the  National  Capital  received  an  ovation  when 
ithey  reached  Baltimore. 

The  aid  supplied  by  other  cities  to  which  appeals 
were  sent — the  offers  of  assistance  which  were  tendered 
voluntarily  by  others — prove  that  in  the  hour  of  calamity 
Baltimore  had  the  practical  sympathy  and  friendship  of 
many  communities  with  which  it  has  business  and  social 
connections.  In  connection  with  the  appeal  for  aid  to 
Washington,  President  Roosevelt  expressed  the  desire 
that  everything  possible  should  be  done  by  the  Wash- 
ington authorities  to  help  Baltimore. 

While  the  fire  department  made  desperate  efforts  to 


432        OTHER  APPALLING  TRAGEDIES  CAUSED    BY  FIRE. 

check  the  progress  of  the  fire,  it  was  impossible  to  control 
the  flames.  The  atmospheric  conditions  were  unfavora- 
ble. A  high  wind  blowing  from  the  time  the  fire  began 
and  continuing  throughout  two  days  filled  the  air  with 
myriads  of  cinders,  which  spread  the  conflagration  to  un- 
expected quarters.  Dynamite  was  used  frequently,  but 
without  satisfactory  results.  It  seemed  almost  from  the 
first  that  the  firemen  were  doomed  to  make  a  losing 
fight,  despite  their  brave  and  vigorous  efforts.  In  the 
face  of  such  conditions  they  were  utterly  helpless. 

HEROISM    DEFEATED. 

Those  who  watched  the  progress  of  the  fire  were 
sick  at  heart,  not  because  the  fire-fighters  lacked  zeal  or 
courage,  but  because  they  felt  that  the  skill  and  heroism 
of  man  were  impotent  to  accomplish  results  against  such 
overwhelming  odds.  Business  men  saw  the  accumula- 
tions of  years  swept  away  in  an  hour ;  the  angry  flames 
shot  up  above  the  highest  buildings,  and  hissed  and 
roared ;  fierce  blasts  of  wind  carried  the  fire  into  new 
localities  ;  great  stocks  of  merchandise,  of  every  sort  and 
description,  were  consumed,  as  it  were,  in  a  moment ; 
vast  numbers  of  the  inhabitants  were  reduced  to  poverty 
and  the  city  was  stunned  by  the  frightful  calamity. 

Fire  engines  and  firemen  were  sent  from  places  as 
far  away  as  New  York,  who  joined  with  others  on  the 
ground  to  check  the  overwhelming  conflagration.  The 
terrified  citizens  rendered  all  aid  of  which  they  were 
capable,  but  were  compelled  to  see  the  big  houses  and 
business  sections  of  the  Monumental  City  reduced  to 
ashes. 


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